Privacy Policy

About this policy

This Privacy Policy describes how AQM Water Treatment ("AQM", "we", "us") collects, uses and protects information submitted through AQM Connect (the "Portal"). It is maintained by AQM as the operator of the Portal and applies to customers, site contacts, reporters and AQM staff who use it to log and track service requests, manage equipment and asset registers, use QR-coded asset tags, and access plant and equipment documentation.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Information we collect

• Identification & contact details: name, email address, phone number, organisation and site.
• Service request data: fault category, plant room, descriptions, photos and videos you upload, and messages exchanged on a case.
• Equipment & facility data: sites and facilities, plant-room locations, equipment types, manufacturers, models, serial and part numbers, specifications, components, condition and defect records, and asset history.
• Asset photos & documents: photographs of equipment, data plates and plant rooms, and technical documents such as manuals and datasheets.
• Account & security data: authentication identifiers, role assignments and audit log entries (for example: who viewed or changed a case or asset, and when).
• Technical data: basic device and browser information needed to deliver the Portal.

Incidental personal information in photos. Equipment and plant-room photos are taken to record equipment, not people. They may occasionally capture incidental personal information, such as a person in the background, a name on a sign or a document left nearby. Please avoid capturing people or unrelated personal details where you can. Any such information is handled under this policy, and you can ask us to remove it.

How we use it

• To receive, triage, action and resolve service requests.
• To communicate with you about your case, including status updates and follow-up questions.
• To set up and maintain equipment and asset registers, including QR-tagged assets, their condition, history and documentation.
• To administer accounts, roles and access to your organisation's data.
• To keep the Portal secure, prevent misuse and maintain an audit trail.
• To produce internal reports for AQM staff about cases, assets and service performance.

AI-assisted features

Some Portal features use automated and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, provided by third-party service providers, to help AQM staff record equipment more quickly and consistently. These tools may:

• analyse equipment and data-plate photos to read details such as manufacturer, model, serial number and specifications;
• help identify the equipment and its model;
• research published technical specifications for identified equipment;
• suggest likely components; and
• help find relevant technical documents, such as manuals and datasheets.

AI output is assistive only. It is shown to AQM staff as suggestions, labelled by where it came from, and is reviewed, corrected or confirmed by a person before it is saved to an asset record. We keep a record of the original suggestion and any correction as part of the asset's history.

Under our current arrangements, AI requests are made through a service configured not to store requests and responses for later use, and AQM Connect does not use your photos, equipment information or staff corrections to train or fine-tune AI models. Our providers handle data under their own terms, and we review these arrangements if our providers or their terms change.

How we store and protect it

• Where it is stored: the Portal's primary database and permanent file storage (including photos, videos and documents) are located in Australia.
• Where it may be processed: some automated and AI-assisted processing, and supporting services such as email delivery, may use secure infrastructure outside Australia. This processing is transient — it is used to perform the task, and the permanent record is kept in our Australian storage.
• Records are protected by access controls so users only see information relevant to their role, organisation or site.
• Access to the Portal requires authentication. Administrative actions are recorded in an internal audit log.
• Uploaded photos, videos and PDFs are stored in private storage and accessed via short-lived secure links.
• Traffic between your browser and the Portal is encrypted in transit (HTTPS).

No online system can be guaranteed completely secure. We continue to review and improve our controls.

Sharing your information

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with:

• AQM staff and authorised technicians who need it to resolve your request or maintain your assets.
• Authorised representatives of your organisation (for example a customer manager for your site).
• Service providers that help us operate the Portal (such as hosting, email delivery, our job-management system and automated or AI processing services), under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations. Some of these providers may process information outside Australia, as described above.
• Regulators or law enforcement where required by law.

Retention

We retain case records, asset records and supporting attachments for as long as needed to provide our services and meet our business, legal and audit obligations. Older attachments associated with closed cases may be moved to archived storage. You can ask us to delete personal information that is no longer needed.

Your rights

You can ask to access or correct the personal information we hold about you, or to delete information that is no longer required. To make a request, or if you have a privacy concern, contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

Contact

AQM Water Treatment
Email: service@aqm.au
Phone: 1300 278 263

See also our Terms of Use and Contact & Support page.