Privacy Policy

Australian Privacy Act 1988: This policy is written in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). CyTide Hosting is committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently.

1. About This Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information CyTide Hosting collects, why we collect it, how we use and store it, and your rights. CyTide Hosting is operated by Jack, a sole trader in regional Far North Queensland. "We", "us", and "our" refer to CyTide Hosting.

By using our website or services, you consent to the collection and use of information as described here.

2. Information We Collect

Account and billing: Name and email address provided during registration. Payment method details — handled and stored by our billing provider, not by CyTide directly. Billing history and invoice records.

Service data: Server configuration and files you upload or create. Database contents associated with your server. Server console logs and activity logs. Backup snapshots: daily node-level disaster recovery snapshots (CyTide-managed) and customer-created in-panel backups.

Technical information: IP addresses of connections to our panel and client portal. Browser and device type when accessing our website. Basic usage logs generated by our infrastructure.

Support communications: Messages sent through the CyTide Discord for support. Email correspondence sent to our support address.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Creating and managing your account and services
• Processing payments and issuing invoices
• Providing technical support
• Sending service-related communications (outage notices, billing reminders, policy updates)
• Maintaining security and investigating potential misuse
• Complying with legal obligations

We do not use your information for third-party marketing and we do not sell your personal information.

4. Third-Party Services

Service	Purpose	What they may process
Cloudflare	DNS, DDoS protection	IP addresses, web requests to our domain
Google Workspace	Business email	Email content sent to/from our support address
Intergrid	VPS for our network DDoS transit node	Network traffic routed through our Brisbane VPS
SparkedHost	VPS for our Pterodactyl panel	Panel access logs, account activity
Stripe	Client portal and billing	Name, email, payment method details
Discord	Primary support channel	Support messages (subject to Discord's own privacy policy)
Third-party monitoring	Independent uptime checks outside CyTide's network	Service endpoint availability only — no personal data

Each provider has their own privacy policy. We encourage you to review them if you have concerns.

5. Where Your Data Is Stored

Your server data, files, and backups are stored on hardware physically located in regional Far North Queensland, operated by CyTide Hosting.

Account and billing data is stored with our billing provider. Email correspondence is stored within Google Workspace. Some third-party data may be held outside Australia, subject to that provider's privacy commitments.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information:

• All traffic to our panel and client portal is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS
• Game server traffic is routed through an encrypted VPN tunnel
• Server containers are isolated from each other via Pterodactyl
• Access to server infrastructure is restricted to the CyTide operator

CyTide Hosting is home-based infrastructure, not a hardened enterprise environment. We are transparent about this limitation. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately via Discord.

7. Data Retention

• Account and billing data is retained while your account is active and for 7 years thereafter for legal and tax purposes
• Server data is retained while your service is active
• Upon cancellation, your in-panel backups and server data are kept for 7 days so you can download via SFTP, then permanently deleted
• Support communications are retained for a reasonable period in case they are needed to resolve ongoing issues

If you request deletion of your account and all associated data, we will action this within 30 days subject to any legal obligations to retain certain records.

8. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction — request that inaccurate or outdated information be corrected
• Deletion — request deletion of your personal information where we are not legally required to retain it
• Complaints — lodge a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been breached

To exercise these rights, contact us via the CyTide Discord or at support@cytidehosting.net. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

9. Cookies

Our website and client portal may use cookies set by Cloudflare for security purposes and by our billing platform for session management. We do not use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the client portal and panel login.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be announced in the Discord server. Continued use of our services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact

For privacy questions, access requests, or complaints:

• Discord: invite.cytidehosting.net (preferred)
• Email: support@cytidehosting.net

If you are not satisfied with our response, contact the OAIC at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.