Digital Neighbour Privacy Policy

In this policy, “Digital Neighbour”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Digital Neighbour. We provide SEO, AI SEO, website design and development, online advertising, and website hosting and maintenance services.

Digital Neighbour collects and holds your personal information. We operate from Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, and serve businesses nationwide. For privacy questions, email info@digitalneighbour.nz or call 0800 363 444 and ask for the Privacy Officer.

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business activities. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

• Your name, email address, phone number, business name and role.
• Your website address, service interests, business goals and the information you include in an enquiry or review request.
• Correspondence, proposals, project instructions, support requests and records of our work with you.
• Billing contact details, invoice information and payment records where you become a client.
• Information available through website, analytics, advertising or business accounts that you authorise us to access for agreed services.
• Technical information such as IP address, browser and device type, pages requested, access times and website error or security logs. Additional usage information may be collected through the technologies described in section 6.

Please do not include passwords, payment-card details or unnecessary sensitive personal information in website enquiry forms or ordinary emails. We will arrange an appropriate method if project access or sensitive information is needed.

We usually collect information directly from you when you complete a form, email or call us, request a Search Growth Review, engage our services or communicate with our team. Technical information may also be collected automatically when your browser connects to our website and its service providers.

Where reasonably necessary and permitted by law, we may receive information from someone acting on your behalf, an authorised business contact, public business sources or platforms you authorise us to use. Where we collect personal information indirectly, we will take reasonable steps to tell the person concerned about the collection, its purpose, the intended recipients, our identity and address, and their access and correction rights, unless a legal exception applies.

Providing information is generally voluntary. Required fields are identified on our forms. If you do not provide information we reasonably need, we may be unable to respond, prepare a useful review or quote, or deliver the requested service. You can contact us by phone or email if you prefer.

We use personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, including to:

• Respond to enquiries, arrange conversations and provide requested reviews, advice, quotes or proposals.
• Plan, deliver and support agreed website, SEO, advertising, hosting and related services.
• Manage client relationships, account access, billing and business administration.
• Operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve our website and services.
• Measure website or campaign performance where relevant tools are enabled and appropriate privacy choices have been provided.
• Send marketing communications where you have consented or the law otherwise permits them.
• Meet legal obligations, maintain necessary records and address disputes or security incidents.

We will only use personal information for another purpose where you authorise it or the law permits it.

We may share relevant information with team members and contractors who need it to carry out their work, and with providers that support our operations. Depending on the service, these may include website hosting, email, cloud storage, enquiry management, project management, analytics, advertising and accounting providers.

We may also share information with professional advisers, with another person or organisation you authorise, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law. We limit information sharing to what is reasonably necessary and take reasonable steps to ensure providers protect information handled on our behalf. We do not sell your personal information.

Cookies are small files stored on your device. Similar technologies can store preferences or collect information about website use. Depending on the features enabled on our website, these technologies may support essential functions and security, remember preferences, measure visits and enquiries, or measure and personalise advertising.

Where analytics or advertising tools are enabled, their providers may receive information such as your IP address, device or browser details, pages visited, interactions and cookie identifiers. The specific tools and available choices will be described in our cookie information or consent interface where applicable. We will seek consent where required by applicable law.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings and use any cookie controls provided on our website. Blocking some cookies may affect website features. Browser controls may not prevent all information collection by third-party services you choose to open.

Our website includes links to external services, including Google PageSpeed Insights and social media platforms. When you use the website speed test to open a Google report, the website address you enter is sent to Google. Only enter a public page address that you are authorised to test; avoid private links, access tokens or confidential information.

When you follow an external link or use a third-party service, that provider’s privacy policy applies to its collection and use of information. We do not control those external services.

Some providers or people supporting our services may store or access information outside New Zealand. Where a provider handles information solely on our behalf, we remain responsible for the personal information we hold and take reasonable steps to protect it through appropriate provider arrangements and access controls.

Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient for its own purposes, we will comply with the applicable overseas disclosure requirements of the Privacy Act 2020. This may involve establishing comparable privacy safeguards or another lawful basis. If we need your authorisation because comparable safeguards may not apply, we will explain this and seek that authorisation separately.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration and disclosure. Access is limited to people who reasonably need the information for their work. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it may lawfully be used, including service delivery, necessary business records, legal obligations and dispute resolution. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymise it. Backup copies are removed through the applicable backup retention process.

If a privacy breach has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals as soon as practicable, subject to any applicable legal exceptions.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link or by contacting info@digitalneighbour.nz. We will action unsubscribe requests within the time required by law. Unsubscribing from marketing does not stop essential communications about your enquiry, project, account or invoices.

You can ask whether we hold personal information about you, request access to it and ask us to correct it. Email info@digitalneighbour.nz and describe your request. We may need to verify your identity before providing information or making changes.

We will respond as soon as reasonably practicable and generally within 20 working days. If a lawful extension is needed, we will explain the reason and the expected response date. Access may be withheld only where the law permits; where applicable, we will explain the reason and your complaint options.

If we do not make a correction you request, you can ask us to attach a statement of the correction sought. You can also ask us to delete information we no longer need. We will consider deletion requests against our lawful retention obligations; there is no general right to deletion under New Zealand’s Privacy Act.

When we work on a client’s website or marketing accounts, we may handle information about that client’s customers, leads or website users on the client’s behalf. We handle that information in accordance with the agreed services, the client’s lawful instructions and applicable privacy obligations.

If your request relates to information collected by one of our clients, please contact that business first. Where appropriate, we will help the client respond. Our clients’ own privacy notices explain their collection and use of personal information.

If you have a question or concern about how we handle your personal information, contact the Privacy Officer at info@digitalneighbour.nz or call 0800 363 444. Please explain what happened and how you would like us to help.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact New Zealand’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.org.nz.

We may update this policy when our services, systems or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on this page with its last updated date. Where required, we will provide additional notice of material changes to how we handle personal information.