Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Acouso Pty Ltd (“Acouso”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website and use our software products. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and manage personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using our website or software, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this policy.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is necessary for our business operations, including:

Account and contact information:

• Name
• Email address
• Company name and ABN (where applicable)
• Phone number
• Billing and payment details (processed by our payment provider; we do not store card numbers)

Authentication and security data:

• Truncated network prefixes stored with website form, download, and early-access audit events
• Short-lived hashed identifiers derived from IP addresses for abuse prevention and rate limiting
• Hashed machine codes (used to associate licences with authorised devices)

Website usage data:

• Browser type, operating system, and device information (collected via Google Analytics)
• Pages visited, time on site, and referral sources (collected via Google Analytics)
• Cookie identifiers (see Section 7)

Except where expressly requested and lawfully handled, we do not seek to collect sensitive information. Acouso-PLAN Early Access users must not submit sensitive personal information as part of Project Data.

3. Project Data

“Project Data” means building models, files, parameters, geometry, materials, constructions, room information, analysis settings, standards, inputs, outputs and related technical information submitted to or processed by our software. The precise Project Data processed depends on the Acouso product and features you use.

Project Data is not necessarily personal information. Where Project Data contains personal information or can reasonably be linked to an identifiable individual, we handle that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

3.1 Acouso-ROOM

Acouso-ROOM transmits building-model data and related acoustic-analysis inputs to our cloud infrastructure for processing using our proprietary algorithms.

Project Data is processed solely to generate acoustic-analysis results.

Our processing systems are not designed to associate Project Data with individual user identities.

Project Data is deleted from active processing systems within 48 hours of processing and from routine backups within a reasonable period afterwards, except where retention is reasonably required for technical support, a billing or contractual dispute, legal compliance or enforcement of the Acouso-ROOM Software Licence Agreement.

Project Data may be used in aggregated and de-identified form to improve Acouso-ROOM, develop new features and conduct research and development.

Acouso-ROOM cloud infrastructure is hosted in Australia, and its Project Data is stored and processed within Australia.

3.2 Acouso-PLAN Early Access

Acouso-PLAN Early Access may transmit models, files, parameters, inputs and other Project Data, including data from an authorised test project, to our cloud infrastructure in Australia. This information is processed using our proprietary algorithms to provide Acouso-PLAN analysis, classification, recommendation and related early-access functionality.

Acouso-PLAN may collect technical, feature-usage, diagnostic, error and crash information.

We may use that information, and aggregated and de-identified information, to license, operate, secure, test and improve our products, services and infrastructure, provided it does not identify you, a client, an individual or a specific project.

You must have the authority and permissions required to submit Project Data and must not include sensitive personal information in an Acouso-PLAN test project.

You are responsible for maintaining independent backups and appropriate security controls.

Acouso-PLAN Early Access is not a backup, archival, migration or data-recovery service. We do not guarantee that Project Data, settings, configurations or outputs will be preserved, exportable or compatible with another early-access build or a future commercial release.

3.3 How we handle Project Data across both products

You retain ownership of your Project Data and pre-existing work product.

You grant Acouso a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, copy, transmit and process Project Data only as reasonably necessary to provide, operate, secure and support the applicable software and as otherwise described in the applicable licence agreement and this Privacy Policy.

We do not sell Project Data.

We disclose Project Data only to service providers reasonably required to operate, secure and support our software under appropriate confidentiality obligations, or where required by law.

We apply reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect Project Data from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Unless a product-specific retention period is stated above, we retain Project Data only for as long as it is reasonably needed for an authorised processing, operational, security, support, contractual or legal purpose. When personal information is no longer required for a permitted purpose, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it, subject to applicable legal requirements and routine backup cycles.

4. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use personal information to:

• Create and manage your Acouso account
• Process subscription payments and issue invoices
• Authenticate and enforce software licence entitlements
• Provide technical support and respond to enquiries
• Provide discount offers that you request through the website
• Send transactional emails (e.g. subscription confirmations, renewal notices, support responses)
• Send product updates and information about new features where you have opted in (you may opt out at any time)
• Improve our website and software products
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose personal information to:

• Cloud infrastructure and hosting providers who host and operate our systems within Australia, under confidentiality obligations
• Payment processors (e.g. Stripe) for billing and subscription management
• Email and communication platforms used to deliver transactional and support communications
• Analytics providers (Google Analytics) for website usage analysis — see Section 7
• Our professional advisers including lawyers and accountants, where necessary
• Regulatory bodies or law enforcement where required or authorised by law

Where we engage third parties to handle personal information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle that information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

6. Data Storage and Security

Personal information is stored on secure systems, accessible only to authorised personnel. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.

All cloud infrastructure used by Acouso is hosted within Australia.

While we take reasonable precautions, no data transmission or storage system is completely secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at support@acouso.com.

7. Cookies and Google Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. We use:

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function correctly
• Google Analytics — to collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website (pages visited, session duration, referral sources). This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you can use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

8. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. Specifically:

• Account and contact information is retained for the duration of your subscription and for a reasonable period after termination for legal, accounting, and compliance purposes.
• Truncated network prefixes stored with website events are retained with the associated form, download, or agreement-acceptance record.
• Short-lived rate-limit identifiers expire automatically after the applicable security window.
• Authentication data such as hashed machine codes is retained for the duration of your licence.
• Billing records are retained for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with applicable tax and accounting laws.

9. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will:

• Notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable and in any event within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach, in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth); and
• Notify affected individuals as soon as practicable.

10. Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to request corrections if that information is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. To make a request, contact us at support@acouso.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with the APPs.

In some circumstances we may decline to provide access (for example, where providing access would unreasonably impact the privacy of another individual, or where required by law). We will explain our reasons if we do so.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies independently.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updated versions will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or software following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

13. Contact Us

For questions, complaints, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.