1. About this policy
This Privacy Policy explains how OutMethod Agency (ABN 80 668 985 724) (“OutMethod Agency”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information.
It applies to personal information we collect through our website at outmethodagency.com.au (the “website”), by email and phone, when you request a free AI Search Visibility Report and when we provide our paid services, including the AI Search Optimisation Report.
We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If you are in the European Union or the United Kingdom, section 16 also applies to you.
2. Business information and personal information
Most of the information we work with is about businesses rather than individuals. This includes a business name, address, website, Google Business Profile and how AI tools describe and recommend that business. Information about a business is not usually personal information.
Some business information can identify a person, for example the name of a sole trader, a staff member listed on a website or a business email address that includes a person’s name. We treat that information as personal information and protect it under this policy.
Our reports are about businesses. We do not name individual people in our reports. Other businesses that appear in AI search results may be named by their business name only.
3. Personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you deal with us. It may include:
contact details such as your name, business name, role, email address, phone number, website and business address
the content of your enquiries, messages and form submissions
information needed to prepare our reports, such as your business website content, business location, Google Business Profile details, AI search results for your business and details you tell us about changes you have made
billing details such as your business name, ABN, billing address, billing contact and records of quotes, invoices and payments
records of our communications with you
technical information about your visit to our website, such as your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, the website that referred you and your approximate location (see our Cookie Policy for more detail)
business contact details that are publicly available, such as an email address or phone number published on a business website, directory or Google Business Profile
We do not collect or store credit or debit card details. Our invoices are paid by bank transfer. We only receive the payment records our bank gives us.
We do not ask for sensitive information, such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or religious beliefs. Please do not send it to us.
4. How we collect personal information
We collect personal information:
directly from you, when you fill in a form on our website, email or call us, accept a quote or deal with us in any other way
from publicly available sources, such as business websites, Google Business Profiles, online directories and the Australian Business Register
from service providers we use to collect public website content and to check how AI tools respond to search prompts about local businesses
automatically, through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website
If we receive personal information we did not ask for and do not need, we will destroy or de-identify it where it is lawful and reasonable to do so.
You can browse our website without telling us who you are. To prepare a report, send a quote or respond to an enquiry, we need your name and contact details.
5. Why we collect and use personal information
We collect, use and disclose personal information to:
respond to your enquiries and requests
prepare and deliver free and paid reports
prepare quotes, issue invoices and manage payments
schedule reports and manage our relationship with you
send you service messages about your reports, quotes and invoices
send you information about our services, as explained in section 6
run, secure and improve our website and services
keep business, accounting and tax records and comply with the law
protect our rights and deal with disputes and claims
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. We will only use or disclose it for another purpose with your consent or where the law requires or allows it.
6. Emails and direct marketing
We may send emails about our services to:
clients and past clients
people who have asked us for a report or for information
businesses whose email address is conspicuously published, where our message relates to that business and the published address is not accompanied by a statement that unsolicited messages are not wanted
We do this in line with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Every marketing email we send identifies OutMethod Agency, includes our contact details and has a simple way to unsubscribe. We will act on your unsubscribe request within 5 business days at no cost to you.
We keep a record of unsubscribe requests so that we do not contact you again. After you unsubscribe we may still send service messages, such as reports, quotes and invoices you have asked for.
7. Use of AI and automated tools
We use AI tools (including large language model services) and other automated software to collect public website content, check how AI search tools respond to prompts about local businesses, analyse the results and draft our reports. We review each report before it is sent.
The information these tools process is mainly information about businesses. Where it includes personal information, such as your name or email address in our records, we only process what is needed for the purposes in this policy.
We do not use AI or other computer programs to make decisions that could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the rights or interests of an individual. If this changes, we will update this policy to explain the kinds of personal information used and the kinds of decisions made.
Where our providers offer the option, we choose settings that stop the information we give them being used to train their AI models.
8. Who we disclose personal information to
We may disclose personal information to:
service providers who help us run our business, including providers of website hosting, email, cloud storage, customer records, AI services, website content collection, AI search visibility checks, invoicing and accounting
our professional advisers, such as our accountant, lawyers and insurers
government agencies, regulators, courts and others where the law requires or allows it
a buyer or potential buyer of all or part of our business who agrees to protect the information in line with this policy
We only give service providers the information they need to do their job. We choose providers that commit to keeping information secure and confidential.
9. Disclosure outside Australia
Some of our service providers store or process information outside Australia. The countries involved are likely to include the United States, member states of the European Union (including the Netherlands and the Czech Republic) and the United Kingdom. Providers may also use data centres in other countries.
Before we disclose personal information outside Australia, we take reasonable steps to make sure the recipient handles it in a way that is consistent with the APPs. This includes choosing reputable providers with strong privacy and security commitments.
10. Storage and security
We store personal information electronically using reputable cloud services. We protect it with measures such as access controls, multi-factor authentication, encrypted connections and limiting access to people who need it.
No method of storing or sending information over the internet is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of information you send us online, but we work to protect it and fix any issue we become aware of quickly.
11. How long we keep personal information
Client records, reports, quotes, invoices and payment records are kept for 5 years after the work they relate to, as Australian tax law requires. We may keep them longer where the law requires it or a dispute is ongoing.
Records of enquiries and free reports that do not lead to paid work are kept for up to 2 years after our last contact. They are then deleted or de-identified.
Unsubscribe records are kept for as long as needed to make sure we do not contact you again.
Website analytics information is kept for no longer than the period set in our analytics tools.
When we no longer need personal information, we delete it or de-identify it.
12. Data breaches
If we suspect a data breach, we will act quickly to contain it and assess the risk of harm. Where a breach is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) where the law requires it. Where the GDPR applies, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours where required.
13. Access, correction and deletion
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you by emailing leon@outmethodagency.com.au. You can also ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
We will respond within 30 days. We do not charge for making a request. We may need to confirm your identity first. If we cannot give you access or make a correction, we will tell you why in writing and explain how you can complain.
You can also ask us to delete your personal information. We will do so unless we need to keep it for legal, tax or record keeping reasons.
14. Children
Our website and services are designed for businesses. They are not directed at people under 18 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe we hold information about a child, please contact us and we will delete it.
15. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please email leon@outmethodagency.com.au with the details. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to respond in full within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
16. Visitors from the European Union and United Kingdom
If the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the UK GDPR applies to our handling of your personal data, this section applies in addition to the rest of this policy. OutMethod Agency is the controller of your personal data.
Our legal bases
We use your personal data on the following legal bases:
to perform a contract with you or take steps you ask for before entering one, such as preparing a quote or report
for our legitimate interests in running and improving our business, keeping our website secure, responding to enquiries and sending relevant business emails, which we balance against your rights
with your consent, for optional cookies and for marketing where the law requires consent
to comply with our legal obligations, such as keeping tax records
Your rights
You have the right to access your personal data, have it corrected or erased, restrict or object to how we use it, receive it in a portable format and withdraw your consent at any time. You have an absolute right to object to direct marketing. You also have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has legal or similarly significant effects on you. We do not make decisions of that kind.
To use any of these rights, email leon@outmethodagency.com.au. We will respond within one month.
International transfers
We are based in Australia, so your personal data will be transferred to and processed in Australia and in the other countries listed in section 9. Where required, we rely on safeguards such as standard contractual clauses offered by our providers. Some transfers may instead be necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps you ask for before entering one.
Complaints to a regulator
You have the right to complain to the data protection authority in the EU country where you live or work. In the UK you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We would appreciate the chance to deal with your concern first.
17. Visitors from other countries
If you live outside Australia, the EU and the UK, you may have other rights under your local privacy laws. Contact us and we will respond in line with the laws that apply to you.
18. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the law or in how we operate. The updated policy will be published on our website with a new effective date. If a change is significant, we will take reasonable steps to let our clients know.
19. Contact us
For any privacy question, request or complaint, please contact us:
OutMethod Agency
ABN 80 668 985 724
South Australia, Australia
Email: leon@outmethodagency.com.au
Website: outmethodagency.com.au