Machine Brain Consultants ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This policy describes what personal information we collect, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have over your information.
What information we collect
We only collect personal information that is necessary for our business operations. The categories of information we may collect include:
- Contact details – name, business email, phone number, and company name when you submit a contact form, request a consultation, or otherwise reach out to us.
- Inquiry content – the message or context you provide when contacting us, including any business or technical details you choose to share.
- Technical data – anonymised analytics about how visitors interact with our website (page views, country, device type, referrer). We use Vercel Web Analytics, which is designed to be privacy-friendly and does not use cookies or collect personally identifying information.
- Engagement information – for clients, we collect the information necessary to deliver our services (organisational context, technical environment details, contact points). The exact scope is defined in the engagement contract.
How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- Respond to your inquiry or consultation request.
- Deliver the cybersecurity, advisory, managed services, or related services you have engaged us to provide.
- Communicate with you about service-related matters (e.g., scheduling, deliverables, incident notifications).
- Improve our website, services, and security posture through aggregated analytics.
- Meet legal, regulatory, or compliance obligations under Australian law.
Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information. We share information only with the following categories of third parties, and only as needed to operate this site and our services:
- Hosting and analytics – Vercel (website hosting and Vercel Web Analytics).
- Transactional email – Resend (used to deliver contact-form submissions to our team).
- Professional advisers and regulators – where required by law, or to defend or assert our legal rights.
- Client engagement subprocessors – disclosed in writing as part of the engagement contract before any data is shared.
How we store and protect information
As a cybersecurity consultancy we treat data protection as core to our operations. We store information in systems designed with security controls appropriate to its sensitivity, including:
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest where the provider supports it.
- Multi-factor authentication on staff accounts.
- Role-based access control with least-privilege defaults.
- Regular vulnerability management and patching of our own infrastructure.
- Backup, retention, and disposal practices aligned to the sensitivity of the data and our contractual obligations.
Where personal information is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected for, we delete or de-identify it in accordance with the Privacy Act and our retention schedule.
Your rights
Under the Australian Privacy Principles you have rights to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete.
- Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time.
- Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have mishandled your information.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address at the bottom of this policy. We aim to respond within 30 days.
Cookies and analytics
Our website uses Vercel Web Analytics for anonymous, cookie-free usage analytics. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. We may use essential cookies (e.g., to remember your light/dark theme preference) which do not track you across sites.
Notifiable Data Breaches
We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under the Privacy Act. If a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose personal information is involved, we will notify the affected individuals and the OAIC in accordance with the scheme.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated to active clients directly.
Contact us
For questions about this policy, requests to access or correct your information, or to make a privacy complaint, contact:
Machine Brain Consultants
8 Southern Cross Drive, Roxburgh Park VIC 3064, Australia
Email: support@machinebrain.com.au
Phone: 03 7074 4553
You may also lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.