% cat legal/privacy-policy.txt

Privacy Policy

The IT Dept Pty Ltd · ABN 12 665 405 505 · last updated 10 June 2026

Short version: I collect the minimum needed to run your services and meet the law, I don't sell it, there's no advertising here, and you can ask me what I hold about you at any time. The longer version follows, because the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and its Australian Privacy Principles require it — and because you deserve to know exactly what an ISP keeps.

1. What I collect

This website uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used — it collects usage data such as pages visited, approximate location, and device information, and sets cookies to do it. That's the only analytics here: no advertising identifiers, no profiling, and nothing from it is linked to your customer account or your use of the services themselves.

2. Why I collect it

To supply, operate, secure, and bill the services; to verify identity where required (including for domain registration eligibility and nbn connections); to handle complaints and payment assistance; and to meet legal obligations that apply to carriage service providers.

3. Mandatory data retention — the honest disclosure

As a carriage service provider, I am required by Part 5-1A of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth) to retain certain telecommunications data — subscriber details and service metadata such as IP address allocations and session records — for two years, and to disclose it to authorised agencies when validly required by law. I do not retain the content of your communications, and retention is limited to what the law actually requires. I will never disclose your information to anyone else except as described in this policy or with your consent.

4. Who I share it with

I do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. There are no advertisers. There is no "data ecosystem".

5. Storage and security

Data is stored on infrastructure I operate in Australia, protected by access controls, encryption in transit, and the professional paranoia of someone who has spent twenty years securing networks. No system is perfect; if a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, I will notify you and the OAIC as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

6. Access, correction, and complaints

You can request access to or correction of your personal information at any time: nick@theitdept.au or 0448 379 418. I'll respond within 30 days, and there's no charge for asking. If you believe I've mishandled your information, complain to me first and I'll deal with it personally. If you're not satisfied, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992).

7. Changes

If this policy changes materially, I'll notify active customers by email and update the date above. The current version always lives at this address.