Privacy Policy

1. Overview

PaddockMateIQ ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information when you use our platform at paddockmateiq.com.

We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). If you are located in the European Economic Area, we also comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the extent applicable.

By creating an account or using our services, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Policy.

2. What Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

Category	Examples	Why we collect it
Account details	Name, email address, password (hashed), state/territory	To create and manage your account
Animal records	Animal names, species, breeds, dates of birth, photos	To provide the animal management features
Health records	Vet visits, treatments, vaccinations, weights, notes	To enable health tracking features
Property data	Property names, paddock layouts, GPS boundaries, markers	To provide property and mapping features
Journal entries	Daily log notes and photos tagged to animals	To provide the daily logbook feature
Community content	Posts, comments, photos shared in the community feed	To operate the community feature
Marketplace listings	Listing titles, descriptions, prices, photos, contact details	To operate the marketplace feature
Profile photo	Avatar image	To personalise your account

Information collected automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, actions taken, and session timestamps — used to improve the platform.
• Device and browser information: Browser type, operating system, screen size — used for compatibility and security.
• IP addresses: Logged for security purposes including rate limiting and fraud detection. Not linked to your identity for marketing purposes.
• Session data: Stored in a secure server-side session to keep you logged in.
• Cookies: See our Cookie Policy for full details.

Information from third parties

• Weather data: We use the Open-Meteo API (no personal data sent) to display weather on your dashboard based on your location coordinates if provided.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information only for the following purposes:

• To provide, operate, and improve the PaddockMateIQ platform and its features.
• To verify your identity and secure your account (including MFA).
• To send you transactional emails — account verification, password resets, reminders, and notifications you have opted into.
• To process and display community posts and marketplace listings.
• To moderate content and investigate reports of abuse or policy violations.
• To analyse aggregate, de-identified usage data to understand how the platform is used and prioritise improvements.
• To comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising or share it with advertisers.

4. Third Parties We Share Data With

Service	Purpose	What is shared	Their privacy policy
Google Gemini (AI)	Powers the AI chat assistant	Messages you send to the AI assistant	Google Privacy Policy
Open-Meteo	Weather data for dashboard widget	Latitude/longitude coordinates only (no name or account data)	Open-Meteo Terms
SyraHost (hosting)	Server and database hosting	All data stored on servers they provide; they do not access or process your data	SyraHost Privacy Policy

We may disclose personal information to law enforcement or government agencies when required by law, or to protect our rights, property, or the safety of our users.

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction with reasonable notice provided to you.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on servers located in Australia. We implement the following security measures:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with a cost factor of 12 — we never store plain-text passwords.
• All data is transmitted over HTTPS with HSTS enforced.
• Sessions use secure, HTTP-only cookies with strict same-site policy.
• Database queries use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection.
• Uploaded files are validated and stored outside the web-accessible directory.
• Multi-factor authentication (TOTP) is available and recommended for all accounts.
• Admin actions are logged in a tamper-evident audit log.

While we take reasonable precautions, no system is completely secure. We will notify you and the relevant authorities in accordance with Australian law if a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm.

6. Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active, and for a reasonable period thereafter for legal, operational, or backup purposes.

When you delete your account, we will permanently delete your personal profile data, animal records, health records, journal entries, and photos within 30 days. Some information may be retained longer where required by law (e.g., financial records) or where it has been shared publicly (e.g., community posts) — in which case we will anonymise rather than delete it where possible.

You can request a copy of all your personal data at any time via Settings → Export My Data. You can request account deletion via Settings → Delete Account.

7. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete personal information.
• Delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Withdraw consent to the use of your personal information, where our processing is based on consent.
• Complain to us about how we have handled your personal information.

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you also have rights under GDPR including the right to data portability, the right to object to processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@paddockmateiq.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not directed at children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. International Users

PaddockMateIQ is based in Australia and primarily serves Australian users. If you access the platform from outside Australia, your personal information will be transferred to and processed in Australia. By using the platform, you consent to this transfer.

If you are an EU/EEA resident, we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing your personal data. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. The most current version is always available at paddockmateiq.com/legal/privacy.html.

11. Contact and Complaints

For privacy-related enquiries or complaints, please contact us:

Privacy Officer, PaddockMateIQ
Lockyer Waters, Queensland, Australia
Email: privacy@paddockmateiq.com

If we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992

See also: Terms of Service · Cookie Policy