The site
Privacy policy
What we collect, why, who it goes to and how to get rid of it. This is a plain English summary of how the site actually works. It is not legal advice.
Who we are
LocalsKnow is a business and places directory for New South Wales and Victoria, operated by Automatrix Digital. Privacy questions go to hello@localsknow.com.au.
What we collect
Five things, and nothing else.
- What you type into a form. Contact, claim and correction forms collect the fields on them: your name, email, phone if you give it, and the message. Claim forms also collect the business you are claiming and your role in it.
- Enquiries you send to a business. Your name and contact details, and the description of the job.
- Images you attach to a form. A logo and photographs with a claim,
or photographs as evidence with a correction. All of these are optional.
Before an image leaves your device the site redraws it at a smaller size and re-encodes it, and that process discards the metadata the camera wrote into the file. That matters more than it sounds: a photo taken on a phone outside a shop normally carries the GPS coordinates of where it was taken, and re-encoding removes them. We never receive them. This happens to every photo, including small ones that did not need resizing, for exactly this reason. - Server logs. Our host records IP address, user agent, the URL requested and the time, which is what any web server records.
- Nothing else. There is no advertising pixel, no cross site tracker, and no third party analytics script on this site.
Business listings and personal information
Listings are built from information businesses publish about themselves: their own websites, their own social pages, and public registers. Every listing shows the sources it was read from and the date.
For a sole trader, business contact details can also be personal information. If a listing includes details you want removed or corrected, tell us and we will do it. We do not require a reason and we do not argue about it. Use the corrections page or email hello@localsknow.com.au.
Why we collect it, and who gets it
| What | Why | Who receives it |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry details | To pass your job to the business you chose | That business only |
| Claim submissions | To confirm you are entitled to manage the listing | Us, and a state register or the ABR for verification |
| Corrections | To fix the listing and record why it changed | Us |
| Server logs | Security, abuse prevention, and knowing which pages get crawled | Our host |
Response time statistics
The median response time figure on some category pages is computed from when an enquiry was sent and when the business replied through the site. It uses timestamps only. No part of your message or your identity is used in that calculation or shown anywhere.
Third parties we actually use
- Netlify, for hosting and form handling. Server logs, form submissions and any image you attach are stored on their infrastructure.
- Google Maps, as outbound links only. There is no embedded map on this site, so Google receives no request from your browser unless you click one.
That is the whole list today. Two things previously named here, a Supabase database and the Google Places API, are not in use: no personal information reaches either, and this section will say so before that changes rather than after.
Netlify is a United States company and stores this data outside Australia, which means an overseas disclosure under Australian Privacy Principle 8. We take reasonable steps to ensure an overseas recipient handles it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles, and we keep the amount that goes there as small as the site can work with.
Cookies
This site sets no cookies of its own. There is no consent banner because there is nothing to consent to. If that changes, a banner appears and this section changes with it.
How long we keep it
- Enquiries: 24 months, so response time statistics stay honest, then deleted.
- Contact and correction messages: 24 months.
- Claim records: for as long as the listing is claimed, plus 12 months.
- Images you attach: a logo or photo for a listing is kept while the listing shows it, and deleted when you ask or when the listing is removed. A photo sent as evidence with a correction is deleted once the correction has been checked, and is never published.
- Server logs: as long as our host retains them, which is a matter of weeks.
You can ask for anything of yours to be deleted sooner and we will do it.
Getting at your information
Email hello@localsknow.com.au and ask. You can request a copy of what we hold about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be deleted. We will respond within 30 days and there is no charge.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS with HSTS. Form submissions are transmitted encrypted. We hold as little as the site needs to work, which is the only security control that never fails.
Complaints
Email hello@localsknow.com.au and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner takes privacy complaints at oaic.gov.au. You are not required to come to us first.
Changes
The effective date at the top of this page is the date of the last build that changed it. Material changes will be described here rather than quietly folded in.
Privacy questions
Do you sell personal information?
No. Enquiry details go to the business the enquiry was addressed to and nowhere else. There is no data broker arrangement, no list rental and no sale of contact details, and if that ever changed this page would say so before it changed rather than after.
A business listing has my personal details on it. Can you remove them?
Yes. Listings are built from publicly published business information, but a sole trader’s business details can also be personal information. Email hello@localsknow.com.au from an address connected to the business, or use the correction form, and it will be removed or amended. We do not require a reason.
Do you use tracking cookies or advertising pixels?
No advertising pixels and no cross site trackers. There is no third party analytics script on this site. Netlify records standard server request logs, which include IP addresses, as part of hosting.
How do I make a privacy complaint?
Email hello@localsknow.com.au with the details and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au. You do not have to come to us first, but it is usually quicker.
Is any of this data stored overseas?
Yes. Netlify and Supabase both operate infrastructure outside Australia. Where an overseas recipient handles personal information collected here, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles, which is what APP 8 requires.