Privacy Policy

1. Who we are and scope

BE INNOVATIONS PTY LTD (trading as Auction Buddy) (ABN 71 653 627 171, ACN 653 627 171) of PO BOX 179, OAKLEIGH VIC 3166, Australia ("Auction Buddy", "we", "us") provides the Auction Buddy website (auctionbuddy.com.au) and upcoming mobile applications in Australia. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This Policy applies to the website, waitlist and marketing forms, support channels, and (when launched) the Auction Buddy mobile applications. Our services are designed for people in Australia; however, our website and apps may be accessible from other countries.

Material changes & notice. We may update this Policy from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 7 days' notice (email and/or in-product) before the changes take effect, and update the "Last updated" date above. Where we introduce materially new uses of personal information, we will provide in-product notice before enabling them.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Email address (waitlist sign-up and support communications).
• Support content if you email us (your message and any attachments).

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Technical data: IP address (hashed/anonymised where available), device and browser information, language, referrer / UTM parameters, pages viewed, events and timestamps.
• Cookies / SDK identifiers used for analytics and performance.
• Error data: application errors, stack traces, request IDs and timestamps.
• External data sources. To generate insights, we may use publicly available and licensed information (e.g., published sales outcomes, auction results, listing metadata, government registers) under applicable licences and terms.

2.3 Optional future app data (when mobile apps launch)

If you choose to use additional features, we may collect information you provide to power those features, for example:

• Property and inspection notes you enter (e.g., ratings, comments, photos).
• Planning and calculator inputs you choose to provide (e.g., price targets, budget ranges, deposit ranges, and other planning assumptions).
• Preferences and configuration (e.g., saved comparisons, notifications).

We will update this Policy before launching features that collect new categories of personal information.

2.4 No sensitive information by default

We do not intentionally collect sensitive information (e.g., health, biometric, racial or ethnic origin). Please do not include sensitive information in free-text fields or attachments.

2.5 If you do not provide information

If you don't provide your email, we cannot register you on the waitlist. You can still browse the website.

3. How we use your information

• Provide and operate the website and waitlist.
• Send launch, product updates, news and offers from Auction Buddy (you can unsubscribe at any time).
• Improve performance and safety (analytics, monitoring, error logging, fraud/abuse prevention).
• Comply with law and enforce our terms.

We may use automated analysis and statistical models to generate indicative estimates and insights. These outputs are general in nature, may not reflect your circumstances, and should not be relied on as advice.

4. Cookies, analytics & research

We use cookies and similar technologies for essential operation of the website, analytics and performance monitoring (including services such as Google Analytics and Vercel Analytics), and error monitoring (e.g., Sentry).

We keep analytics wording intentionally broad: we use analytics for our own research and product improvement. We do not share your personal information with third parties except where you request a partner connection (see Partner services below). We may use and share anonymised and aggregated information internally or with partners (For example: "20% of our user base in Sydney inspects 5 properties on average before attending an auction"), provided it does not reasonably identify you.

5. Information sharing and disclosure

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information. We may share personal information:

• Service providers: with trusted providers who help us operate the website and services.
• Legal requirements: when required by law or to protect our rights, users or the public.
• Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.
• With your consent: for specific purposes you agree to (for example, when you ask us to connect you with a partner).

5.1 Anonymised and aggregated insights

We may use, publish, license or sell information that has been anonymised and/or aggregated so it does not reasonably identify any individual. We take reasonable steps to de-identify data and prohibit recipients contractually from attempting to re-identify individuals or combining the insights with other data to identify a person.

Example: "20% of our user base in Sydney inspects 5 properties on average before attending an auction."

(This section does not permit the sale of personal information. It covers only anonymised and aggregated insights.)

6. Overseas disclosures and service providers

We use trusted service providers to host and operate our services. As a result, your personal information may be disclosed to recipients located outside Australia (including the United States, the European Union and the Asia-Pacific region), for example:

• Hosting/CDN & serverless execution: e.g., global edge networks and serverless platforms.
• Database & authentication: e.g., Australian-hosted regions where available.
• Email & productivity: e.g., Google Workspace for inbound communications and administration.
• Analytics: e.g., GA4 and platform analytics.
• Error/crash logging: e.g., Sentry.
• AI processing provider(s): to generate or enhance certain features (e.g., image/text processing). Inputs you choose to send to these features may be processed on our provider's systems. We keep this broad and minimise identifiers in inputs where practical. Processing may occur outside Australia.

We take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle personal information in accordance with the APPs, including through contractual safeguards, access controls and security measures. Some operational metadata (such as CDN, analytics or email headers) may be processed in multiple regions to provide reliability and performance.

6.1 Partner services and referrals

Where we facilitate a connection to a partner at your request, we will only share the minimum necessary information with your consent, and the partner will handle that information under their own privacy policy.

7. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, use, disclosure and loss. Our safeguards include technical, organisational and access-control measures appropriate to the nature of the information and our services. While we use these safeguards, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If you suspect misuse or unauthorised access, contact hello@auctionbuddy.com.au.

7.1 Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme

We assess suspected data breaches in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If we have reasonable grounds to believe a breach is likely to cause serious harm to one or more individuals (an eligible data breach), we will take immediate steps to contain it and notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable. If a breach is not likely to cause serious harm, we will document the incident and our assessment.

8. Your rights and choices

• Access & correction: request access to or correction of your personal information.
• Deletion: request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal and operational limits).
• Unsubscribe: unsubscribe from marketing at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting us.

Your uploads. Please avoid uploading unlawful content or personal information about other people (for example, identifiable photos) without their consent. Do not upload content that infringes third-party rights.

To exercise these rights, contact hello@auctionbuddy.com.au.

9. Data retention & inactivity

We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described, then delete or de-identify it. We configure our systems/providers to the nearest available retention setting to meet these targets:

• Waitlist emails: retained while you are on the waitlist. If you do not create an account after launch, we may continue to send marketing (unless you unsubscribe). If you have not signed into the product within 30 days after official launch, you are considered inactive for marketing segmentation purposes but may still receive marketing unless you opt out.
• Accounts (when launched): retained while your account is active. Accounts are not closed unless you ask us to. If you close your account, we aim to delete personal information within 90 days, subject to backup retention.
• "Lifetime free access" inactivity (benefit eligibility): for the purpose of included "lifetime" benefits, a user is considered inactive if there is no sign-in or in-product activity for more than 90 consecutive days. This affects benefit eligibility only and does not itself close your account.
• Support emails: 24 months from resolution.
• Server/edge logs: target 90 days (provider defaults may vary).
• Analytics: typical retention 14 months (or nearest plan setting).
• Error logs: ~90 days (or nearest plan setting).
• Backups: up to 30 days after deletion.
• Unsubscribe / suppression list: retained only to ensure we do not email you again and removed if you later re-subscribe with consent.

Some providers may store aggregated or de-identified metrics for longer to report system performance and reliability.

10. Marketing and service communications

When you join our waitlist, we may email you about the launch, product updates, news and offers from Auction Buddy. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting hello@auctionbuddy.com.au.

We may also send service or transactional messages (for example, to confirm your waitlist registration or notify you about changes to our terms or this policy). These are not marketing.

11. Children

Our services are intended for individuals 18 years and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact hello@auctionbuddy.com.au and we will delete it.

12. Changes to this Policy

As above under Material changes & notice, we provide 7 days' notice for material changes, update the "Last updated" date, and provide in-product notice before enabling materially new uses of personal information.

13. Questions or complaints

If you have questions or concerns about this Policy or our handling of personal information, contact us at hello@auctionbuddy.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.