Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Byron Inc. (hereinafter referred to as 'the Company', 'we', 'us', or 'our'), operating the NihonAustralia platform (https://www.nihonaustralia.com, hereinafter referred to as 'the Site'), is committed to protecting the privacy of our users.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, the circumstances under which we may share it, and the rights you have regarding your personal information.

By using the Site, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please discontinue use of the Site.

2. Scope of Application

This policy applies to all users who access or use the Site, including users located in Australia, Japan, and other jurisdictions.

This policy covers all services provided through the Site, including but not limited to: job postings, housing listings, services directory, events, articles, Q&A forums, exchange rate tools, and community features.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account registration information: email address, display name, profile picture
• Profile information: location preferences, bio, social media links
• User-generated content: job postings, housing listings, service listings, event listings, Q&A posts, comments
• Contact form submissions: name, email address, message content
• Payment information: processed securely through Stripe (we do not store your card details)

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device and browser information: device type, operating system, browser type and version
• Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, search queries
• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Referral source (how you arrived at the Site)
• Cookie and similar technology data (see Section 8 for details)

3.3 Information from Third-Party Authentication

• When you sign in with Google OAuth, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google
• When you use email magic link authentication, we collect and verify your email address

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Providing, operating, and maintaining the Site and its services
• Managing your account and providing customer support
• Sending service-related communications, including email notifications and newsletters
• Analysing usage patterns to improve the Site's functionality and user experience
• Ensuring the safety and security of the Site and preventing fraudulent or unlawful activity
• Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms and Conditions
• Aggregated analytics and statistical analysis to understand user behaviour
• Displaying relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
• Managing user relationships and communications through our CRM system

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent for specific processing activities (e.g., receiving marketing emails, analytics cookies)
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations to you (e.g., providing account services)
• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, preventing fraud, and ensuring security
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is required to comply with applicable laws and regulations

6. Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party service providers to operate and improve the Site. Your data may be processed by these providers in accordance with their own privacy policies:

Hosting & Infrastructure

• AWS Amplify (Amazon Web Services) - Website hosting, based in Australia
• Supabase - Database and user authentication, with servers in Sydney and Tokyo regions

Analytics & Performance Monitoring

• Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) - Website traffic analysis and user behaviour insights
• PostHog - Product analytics and user behaviour tracking
• Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corporation) - Session replay and heatmap analysis
• Sentry - Application error tracking and performance monitoring

Communication

• Resend - Transactional and notification email delivery
• LINE Messaging API (LY Corporation) - Messaging and notifications via LINE
• HubSpot - Customer relationship management and email communications

Payment Processing

• Stripe - Secure payment processing (PCI DSS compliant). We do not store your credit card information.

Media Storage

• Cloudinary - Image upload, storage, and optimisation

Advertising

• Google AdSense (Google LLC) - Display advertising. AdSense may use cookies to serve personalised ads based on your browsing history.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With the third-party service providers listed in Section 6, solely for the purpose of providing our services
• When required by law, regulation, legal process, or government request
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our users, or the public
• With your explicit consent
• In aggregated or anonymised form that cannot reasonably identify you

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies. We categorise cookies as follows:

You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner displayed when you first visit the Site, or by adjusting your browser settings. For more details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

View our Cookie Policy

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account and up to 30 days after account deletion
• User-generated content (posts, listings, comments): Retained for the duration of your account. Deleted upon account deletion unless required for legal purposes.
• Analytics data: Retained in anonymised form for up to 26 months
• Server and error logs: Retained for up to 90 days
• Contact form submissions and support communications: Retained for up to 2 years

When your data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

10. International Data Transfers

As the Site serves users in both Australia and Japan, your personal information may be transferred and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including Australia and Japan.

Our primary database servers are located in Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan (via Supabase). Some third-party service providers may process data in other locations (e.g., the United States).

When transferring data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including compliance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Japanese Act on Protection of Personal Information (APPI).

11. Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right of Correction: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right of Deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Right of Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Object: You can object to our processing of your personal information for certain purposes
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request that we limit the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 14. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

12. Children's Privacy

The Site is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 16. 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 that a child under 16 has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately.

13. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

These measures include, but are not limited to: encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL), secure authentication mechanisms (magic link and OAuth), access controls, and regular security reviews.

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

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

You may also reach us through our Contact Page.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on the Site and updating the 'Last Updated' date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Applicable Laws

This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with the following laws and regulations:

• Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
• Japanese Act on Protection of Personal Information (個人情報保護法, APPI)
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - for users accessing the Site from the European Economic Area

In the event of any conflict between this policy and applicable laws, the provisions of the applicable law shall prevail.