Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

When you create an account or use Price Pilot, we collect:

• Email address - required to create your account and send deal alerts.
• Password - securely hashed using bcrypt. We never store or have access to your plaintext password.
• Wishlist selections - the products you choose to track for price alerts.
• Store preferences - your selected store locations for chains where prices vary between stores (such as Drakes and Foodland), so we show you the right prices.
• Search queries - when you search for a product, we may store the search term to help us expand our catalogue. If you are logged in, the search term may be associated with your account to improve your experience.

In the future, we may implement basic usage analytics (such as page views and feature usage) using Google Analytics. If we do, this policy will be updated to reflect those changes.

2. Data minimisation

We follow the principle of data minimisation and only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide the Service. If we need to collect additional types of information in the future, we will update this policy and, where required by law, seek your consent before doing so.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to provide and improve the Price Pilot service. Specifically:

• To display relevant price comparisons and deals based on your store preferences.
• To send email digests when products on your wishlist go on special.
• To improve our product coverage by using anonymised search terms to inform which products we scan for.
• To maintain and improve the reliability of the service.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not share your data with retailers.

4. Email communications

Price Pilot offers optional email digests (daily or weekly) that notify you when products on your wishlist are on special. You can choose your preferred frequency or opt out entirely within your account settings.

In compliance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), every email we send includes an unsubscribe link. If you unsubscribe, we will stop all promotional emails within 5 business days. Unsubscribing from emails does not delete your account - your wishlist and preferences remain intact.

We use SendGrid (a Twilio company) to deliver emails. Your email address is shared with SendGrid solely for the purpose of email delivery. SendGrid's privacy policy is available on their website.

5. International data transfer

Some of the service providers we rely on are based outside Australia. Our infrastructure is hosted on Railway (based in the United States), and email delivery is handled by SendGrid, a Twilio company (also based in the United States). As a result, your personal information may be stored, processed, or transferred outside of Australia.

Where your data is transferred overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipients handle your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. However, you acknowledge that overseas recipients may not be subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and may not be bound by the same privacy obligations that apply in Australia.

If you have concerns about the overseas handling of your information, please contact us at support@pricepilotdeals.com.au.

6. Children's privacy

Price Pilot is not intended for use by children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@pricepilotdeals.com.au.

7. Cookies and session data

Price Pilot uses session cookies to keep you logged in. These cookies are configured with the following security settings:

• HttpOnly - cannot be accessed by JavaScript, reducing the risk of cross-site scripting attacks.
• Secure - only transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections.
• SameSite=Lax - limits cross-site request forgery risks.

We do not use third-party tracking cookies. If we implement Google Analytics in the future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate consent mechanisms.

8. Data retention

Your account data (email, wishlist, preferences) is retained for as long as your account remains active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal information within a reasonable timeframe.

Price history data is collected from publicly available sources and stored in aggregated form. This data is not linked to individual user accounts and is retained to provide historical pricing trends for all users.

9. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, and disclosure:

• Passwords are hashed with bcrypt and are never stored in plaintext.
• All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted via TLS/HTTPS.
• Database connections are encrypted and access is restricted by credential-based authentication.
• We follow secure development practices including input validation and parameterised queries to prevent common attack vectors.

While we strive to protect your data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Data breach notification

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose personal information is involved, we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and affected individuals as soon as practicable, in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). We will also take reasonable steps to contain the breach and mitigate potential harm.

11. Third-party links

Price Pilot may contain links to external websites, including retailer product pages on sites such as Coles, Woolworths, Drakes, Foodland, and Aldi. These external sites have their own privacy policies and practices, which we do not control and are not responsible for. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external site you visit through links on Price Pilot.

12. Your rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct any inaccurate or outdated information.
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal data.
• Opt out of email communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@pricepilotdeals.com.au. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify registered users via email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision.

Your continued use of Price Pilot after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).