We respect your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you use the Tasmanian Planning Scheme Assistant (the "Service"). We comply with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) to the extent they apply to us.
To generate responses, your queries are processed by our systems using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) against Tasmanian Planning Scheme documents stored in our vector database. The final answer generation may use our hosted language model (Ollama/llama3.1) or, if you choose the "Bring Your Own Key" option, your chosen external provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or xAI Grok).
When using BYOK mode, your API key and the final LLM request are sent directly from your browser to the provider — they never pass through our servers. Only the anonymised retrieval context (planning clause excerpts) is fetched from our backend.
We take steps to minimise personal information in prompts where possible and handle all data in accordance with this Policy.
Where privacy laws require a legal basis, we rely on legitimate interests (to operate and improve the Service), consent (where you provide it, such as joining the waitlist), and compliance with legal obligations.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.
Service data is primarily processed and stored in Australia. Some service providers may process data in other jurisdictions. We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law, after which we securely delete or de-identify it.
Query logs stored in our telemetry database contain hashed IP addresses (not reversible) and anonymised session identifiers. Raw query text is retained for up to 90 days for service improvement, then deleted.
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed identifiers in logs, and access controls on data stores. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
The Service is not directed to children under 16. If you believe a child has provided personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.
The Service may link to third-party sites including the Tasmanian Planning Scheme Online (TPSO) viewer and council websites. Their privacy practices are not covered by this Policy.
We may update this Policy by posting a revised version with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted indicates acceptance of the updated Policy.
If you have questions or requests about privacy — including access, correction, or deletion of your personal information — please contact us via the details below.
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