Data Privacy at Metaphor

Metaphor Limited ("we", "us", "our") are a software and IT services company based in New Zealand, dedicated to providing innovative solutions to our clients.

We are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).

This policy applies to information we collect when you:

• Visit our website (https://metaphor.cloud).
• Engage with us to use our products or services.
• Communicate with us via email, phone, or other channels.
• Interact with us as a supplier or partner.

The type of personal information we collect depends on the nature of your interaction with us.

• ‍a) Information You Provide to Us Directly:
  - Contact Information: Your name, email address, phone number, and physical address.
  - Business Information: Your company name, job title, and other details related to your business.
  - Account & Billing Information: Login credentials, billing address, and payment information (which may be processed securely by a third-party payment provider).
  - Communications: Records of your correspondence with us, including support requests, feedback, and inquiries.
• b) Information We Collect Automatically:
  - Website Usage Data: When you visit our website, we may collect information about your device and your usage, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates/times of your visits.
  - Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to help our website function effectively, analyse performance, and personalise your experience. For more details, please see Section 8: Cookies and Tracking Technologies.
• c) Information We Process on Behalf of Our Clients:
  As an IT services company, we may access, manage, or store data, including personal information, on behalf of our clients as part of providing our contracted services (e.g., cloud hosting, database management, software development). In these instances:
  - We act as a "processor" or "agent" for our client, who is the "agency" controlling the data.
  - Our client's privacy policy governs the collection and use of this data.
  - We will only process this information as instructed by our client and in accordance with our contractual obligations. We will protect this information with the same high level of security we apply to our own data.

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To Provide and Manage Our Services: To deliver the software and IT services you have requested, create and manage your account, and process payments.
• To Communicate With You: To respond to your inquiries, provide customer support, send service-related announcements, and manage our client relationships.
• For Business Operations: For administration, invoicing, and internal record-keeping.
• To Improve Our Services: To analyse usage trends, troubleshoot issues, and enhance the functionality and user experience of our website and services.
• For Marketing and Promotions: To send you information about our services, updates, or promotional offers that we believe may be of interest to you. You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time by using the "unsubscribe" link in our emails or by contacting us directly.
• To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet our legal, regulatory, and tax obligations in New Zealand.

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

• With Third-Party Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third parties who perform services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting providers (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS), payment processors, analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics), and customer relationship management (CRM) software. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.
• With Your Consent: We may share your information with other parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information if we believe in good faith that it is necessary to:Comply with a legal obligation, court order, or government request.Protect the rights, property, or safety of Metaphor Limited, our clients, or the public.Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues.
• In a Business Transfer: If Metaphor Limited is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your personal information.

• a) Data Storage and International Transfers:
  ‍Your information is stored on secure servers. While we are a New Zealand-based company, some of our third-party service providers may be located overseas. This means your personal information may be transferred to, and processed in, countries other than New Zealand. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any international transfer of personal information is done in a way that provides comparable safeguards to those in the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
• b) Security:
  ‍We take the security of your personal information seriously. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include data encryption, access controls, regular security assessments, and staff training.
• c) Retention:
  ‍We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required to comply with our legal obligations (for example, to retain invoicing data for tax purposes). When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

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

• Access Your Information: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct Your Information: You can request that we correct any personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Our website may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

We use cookies (small text files placed on your device) and similar technologies to provide our website and help collect data. Cookies allow us to, among other things, store your preferences and settings, enable you to sign-in, and analyse how our website is performing. You can use your web browser's controls to manage and delete cookies. Please note that if you block cookies, some features of our website may not function correctly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new policy on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer via the Contact Us page on our website

‍If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in New Zealand (www.privacy.org.nz).