Privacy Policy

Byte Digital ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at bytedigital.co.nz, use our services, or communicate with us. This policy complies with the Privacy Act 2020 of New Zealand.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you use our website, fill out forms, subscribe to our newsletter, or communicate with us. This may include your name, email address, phone number, business name, and any other details you choose to share in contact forms, consultation requests, or project briefs.

We also automatically collect certain technical information when you visit our website. This includes your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time and date of visits, and device information. We collect this data through cookies, server logs, and analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our website and to improve our services.

If you engage our services, we will collect additional information necessary to deliver those services, including but not limited to business details, branding assets, content for your website, hosting credentials, and payment information. Payment information is processed securely through third-party payment providers and we do not store your credit card or banking details on our systems.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes: to respond to your enquiries and provide customer support; to deliver and manage our web design and digital marketing services; to send you project updates, invoices, and administrative communications; to improve our website, services, and user experience; to analyse website usage patterns and trends; to send marketing communications and newsletters where you have provided explicit consent; and to comply with legal obligations under New Zealand law.

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or for a directly related purpose that you would reasonably expect. We will not use your information for any unrelated purpose without obtaining your consent first.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect information about how you use our site. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. We use both session cookies, which expire when you close your browser, and persistent cookies, which remain on your device until they expire or you delete them.

We use cookies for essential website functionality, such as remembering your preferences and maintaining your session. We also use analytics cookies through Google Analytics to understand website traffic, visitor behaviour, and content performance. These analytics cookies help us improve our website and services by identifying what works well and what needs improvement.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or alert you when a cookie is being set. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website and limit your ability to use certain features.

4. Third-Party Services

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business and delivering our services. These include web hosting providers, email service providers, analytics platforms, payment processors, and content management systems. All third-party providers are contractually obligated to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

We may also disclose your information if required to do so by law, in response to a valid legal request from a New Zealand court, government agency, or regulatory body, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We will not share your personal information with third parties for any purpose other than those described in this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our servers, secure access controls and authentication protocols, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments, encrypted storage for sensitive data, and staff training on data protection best practices.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining industry-standard protections and responding promptly to any security incidents that may occur.

6. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the following rights regarding your personal information: the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you; the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information; the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal obligations; the right to withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time; and the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you believe your privacy has been breached.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. We will respond to your request within 20 working days as required by the Privacy Act 2020. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Client project information is retained for a minimum of seven years after the completion of services for tax and legal compliance purposes. Website analytics data is anonymised after 26 months in accordance with Google Analytics data retention policies. Marketing consent records are retained for three years from your last interaction.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or your rights, please contact us:

Byte Digital
Christchurch, Canterbury
New Zealand
Email: barry@bytedigital.co.nz