Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Control Shift Limited (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and website visitors. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information. Control Shift Limited is based in Auckland, New Zealand and operates in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Name, email address, phone number and business name (provided via our contact form, email or phone)
• Website URL and hosting details (relevant to the services we provide)
• Billing and payment information (processed securely through our payment provider)
• Website analytics data (see Cookies section below)
• Support requests submitted through our website

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and manage our web development, hosting and support services
• Communicate with you about your project or account
• Send invoices and process payments
• Respond to enquiries submitted through our website
• Improve our website and services

We will never sell, rent or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Third-Party Services

In the course of providing our services, your information may be processed by the following third-party providers:

• Cloudways (website hosting infrastructure)
• Cloudflare (CDN, DNS and security services)
• Mailgun (transactional email delivery)
• Google Workspace (business email and internal communication)
• Xero (invoicing and accounting)
• Tally (form submissions and support requests)
• Google Analytics (anonymous website usage data)

Each of these providers handles your information in accordance with their own privacy policies and only receives the information necessary to perform their role.

5. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies to help it function properly and to understand how visitors use it. We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about how people interact with our website, which helps us improve it over time. This includes things like which pages are visited, how long people stay, and what device they’re using. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings at any time, although some parts of the website may not work as expected if you do. To opt out of Google Analytics specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

6. Data Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Client websites are hosted on secure servers with daily backups, SSL encryption and firewall protection through Cloudflare.
Client websites and associated data are stored on servers operated by our hosting provider Cloudways, located in Sydney, Australia. Internal business data such as client communications, project files and invoicing records is stored within Google Workspace and Xero, both of which use secure cloud infrastructure.
We retain personal information for as long as it is needed to provide our services and to meet our legal and tax obligations. When a client relationship ends, we retain relevant records for a minimum of seven years to comply with New Zealand tax law. After that, information is securely deleted unless we are required to retain it for longer.

7. Your Rights

Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of any inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to any legal obligations we may have to retain it)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

8. Data Breaches

In the event of a data breach that poses a risk of serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required under the Privacy Act 2020.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of our services after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at [email protected] or call us on 09 390 7975.