Privacy Policy

Effective: 1 March 2026

1. Introduction

Big Dog Software ("we", "us", "our") operates MACIA (My Aged Care IAT Assistant). We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information when you use the MACIA service.

2. What We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

Account Information

Your name and email address, provided during registration.

Assessment Data

Answers to IAT questions, personal notes, demographic information (such as age range, living situation), and person profile photos that you choose to enter.

Activity Logs

Records of actions performed within the application (such as creating assessments, sharing, and logging in), along with timestamps and IP addresses. These are used for security auditing and system integrity.

Session Data

An encrypted session cookie that is essential for authentication and using the application. This is a functional cookie only — it is not used for tracking or analytics.

We do not use analytics cookies, third-party tracking, advertising pixels, or any form of behavioural profiling. The only cookie used by MACIA is the functional session cookie required for authentication.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • • To provide and operate the MACIA service
  • • To authenticate your identity and maintain your session
  • • To enable assessment sharing when you initiate it
  • • To send email verification and password reset communications
  • • To respond to your contact form enquiries
  • • To maintain system security and audit trails

We do not use your data for marketing, advertising, or profiling purposes.

4. Sensitive Information

Assessment data you enter into MACIA may include health-related information, which is classified as sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988 (section 6). This includes information about medical conditions, medications, functional abilities, cognitive health, and psychological wellbeing.

We collect this information only through your explicit action of entering assessment answers. It is collected solely for the purpose of helping you prepare for your aged care assessment and is not disclosed to any third party without your consent.

5. Data Storage and Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement the following measures:

  • • All data is stored on servers located entirely within Australia
  • • Database sessions are encrypted
  • • Passwords are hashed using industry-standard bcrypt algorithm and are never stored in plain text
  • • HTTPS encryption is used for all production connections
  • • Regular database backups are maintained
  • • Access to production systems is restricted to authorised personnel

6. Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.

Your assessment data may be shared with others only when you explicitly initiate sharing through MACIA's assessment sharing feature. Recipients access shared assessments via secure, token-based links that you control and can revoke at any time.

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by Australian law, court order, or government regulation.

7. Cross-border Disclosure

Your personal information is stored and processed entirely within Australia. We do not transfer your personal information to any overseas recipients.

8. Access and Correction

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to access and correct your personal information. Through the MACIA application, you can:

  • • View and update your profile information at any time
  • • View, edit, and delete your assessment data
  • • Delete your entire account and associated data

For full data export requests or other access enquiries, please contact us through the contact form available in your profile.

9. Cookies

MACIA uses a single, functional session cookie. This cookie is:

  • • Essential — required for authentication and using the application
  • • Encrypted — session data is stored server-side and encrypted
  • • Temporary — expires after your session ends or after the configured session lifetime
  • • First-party only — no third-party cookies are used

We do not use analytics cookies, tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any other non-essential cookies.

10. Data Retention

Your account and assessment data is retained for as long as your account is active. You can delete individual assessments at any time, or delete your entire account through your profile settings, which will remove your personal data from our systems.

Activity logs may be retained for a reasonable period after account deletion for security auditing purposes, after which they are permanently deleted.

11. Children's Privacy

MACIA is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete that information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Material changes will also require you to re-accept our Terms of Service.

13. Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to make a complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact Big Dog Software through the contact form available in your profile.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).