Privacy, in plain English.

Aurek Systems ("Aurek", "we", "our", "us") is a Canberra-based studio that builds and looks after websites, mobile apps and custom software. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information when you use our website at aureksystems.com, our mobile applications, and any related services (together, the "Services").

We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. By using our Services you acknowledge that your information will be handled as described here.

This policy covers Services that Aurek operates itself. Where we build or host a website or app for a client business, that business is responsible for how its own customers' information is handled, and its own privacy policy applies.

Information you give us

When you send us a project brief, contact us or ask for support, we collect what you choose to provide, which may include:

• Your name, business name, email address and phone number
• Your preferred contact method
• Project details such as the services you're interested in, your current website, budget range, payment preference, timing and any notes
• Messages, enquiries and support requests

Account information (apps)

If you create an account in one of our apps, we may collect:

• Login and authentication details (passwords are stored in hashed form by our authentication provider, never in plain text)
• Profile information and account settings
• Your preferences within the app

Content you create in our apps

Some apps let you create, upload or save content such as notes, messages, images, entries or preferences. We store this only so the app can do what you'd expect it to, such as syncing your content between devices.

Device and usage information

When you use our Services we may automatically collect technical information such as:

• Device type, operating system and browser type
• IP address and approximate location derived from it
• App version, crash logs and error reports
• Pages or screens visited, time spent and general interaction data

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep the site working properly and securely
• Understand how visitors find and use the site
• Measure whether our Google Ads lead to enquiries (for example, recording that a brief was sent, without the content of the brief)

We use the Google tag for advertising measurement. Google may use cookies to recognise your browser across sites. You can manage ad personalisation at adssettings.google.com and block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site still works if you do.

We use personal information to:

• Reply to your enquiry or brief, prepare quotes and deliver the work you engage us for
• Provide, operate and maintain our websites and apps, including your account
• Send important service messages, such as security notices or changes to a service you use
• Diagnose problems, monitor performance and improve our Services
• Protect our Services and users from fraud, spam and misuse
• Meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations

We don't add you to marketing lists from a brief or enquiry. If we ever offer a newsletter, it will be opt-in and every email will include a way to unsubscribe.

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share it where it's needed to run our Services:

Service providers

Trusted providers who process information on our behalf, and only receive what they need to do their job, including providers of:

• Website and app hosting, databases and backend infrastructure (for example, Supabase for app databases and authentication)
• Lead handling and notifications, such as our workflow automation and SMS alerts when a brief arrives
• Security and access control for our systems (for example, Cloudflare)
• Analytics, advertising measurement and crash reporting (for example, Google)
• Email and communication tools
• Payment processing, where a Service takes payments
• App distribution through the Apple App Store and Google Play

These providers handle information under their own privacy policies and security commitments. We choose providers with strong track records and limit what we send them.

Legal and safety reasons

We may disclose information where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary to protect our rights, investigate fraud or security issues, or protect the safety of anyone.

Business changes

If Aurek is involved in a merger, sale or restructure, personal information may transfer as part of that process. It will remain protected under a policy at least as protective as this one.

Depending on what an app does, it may ask for access to:

• Notifications
• Camera
• Photos and media
• Storage
• Location, only where a feature genuinely needs it

We only ask for a permission when a feature needs it, and the app will still work (without that feature) if you say no. You can change permissions at any time in your device settings.

If you turn on push notifications, we may send reminders, activity updates or important service information. You can switch them off at any time in your device settings.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure. This includes encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls on our systems and providers, and keeping software up to date.

No method of storing or sending information over the internet is completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security. If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

We host our website in Australia where practical, but some of our providers (such as Google, Cloudflare, Supabase, Twilio, Apple and Google Play) may store or process information in other countries, including the United States and countries in Europe and Asia.

Where information goes overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure the provider handles it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes above: to respond to you, provide a Service or account, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, or meet legal and tax record-keeping requirements.

Briefs that don't go ahead are deleted or de-identified once they're no longer needed. If you delete your account in one of our apps, we delete or de-identify your account data within a reasonable time, except where we must keep it by law.

You can ask us to:

• Tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy
• Correct information that's inaccurate, out of date or incomplete
• Delete your information or your app account
• Stop using your information for a particular purpose, where you've previously given consent

We'll respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm your identity first. There's no charge for making a request. You may also deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym where that's practical, although we'll need contact details to reply to a brief.

Our Services are not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their personal information without a parent or guardian's consent. If you think a child has given us information, contact us and we'll delete it.

We may update this policy as our Services change. We'll update the date at the top of this page, and for significant changes we'll give notice on the website or in the relevant app.

For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact us using the details below. We'll acknowledge your message and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.