Privacy Policy
How we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information, and how you can access or correct yours.
Last updated: 8 September 2026.
Owls Nest Solutions Pty Ltd (ABN 32 699 767 587, "Owls Nest Solutions", "we", "us", "our") provides electronic security, managed IT, compliance, investigative and mercantile services. This policy explains how we handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Some of our services - particularly investigations and mercantile/debt collection, conducted under our WA security and inquiry agent licensing - involve personal information about people who are not our direct clients. We've written this policy to meet the APPs in full, rather than relying on the small business exemption some organisations use, given the sensitivity of that work.
The kinds of personal information we collect
Depending on which of our services are involved, this can include:
- Contact details: name, email, phone number, suburb or address
- Enquiry and quote details: the service you're asking about and any message you send us
- Site and account information for clients we provide ongoing IT, security or compliance services to (for example, network configuration details, asset registers, or access credentials handled as part of managed services)
- For investigative and mercantile engagements: information relevant to the specific matter instructed by a client, which may include information about individuals who are not our client (for example, a person being located, a debtor, or a subject of an investigation) - collected only to the extent necessary for the lawful purpose of that engagement
- We do not collect sensitive information (such as health, criminal history, or biometric information) unless it's directly relevant to a specific licensed investigation and collection is otherwise lawful
How we collect personal information
- Directly from you, when you submit an enquiry or quote request through our website, call, or email us
- From clients who engage us to provide services, where information about other individuals is provided as part of that engagement (for example, a debt collection instruction, or an investigation brief)
- From publicly available sources or third parties, where relevant and lawful, as part of a licensed investigation or skip tracing engagement
- Automatically, in a limited way, through our website's analytics (see "Website analytics" below)
Where practicable, we collect personal information directly from the individual concerned. Where we collect it from someone else - most often in investigative or debt-recovery work - we do so only as reasonably necessary for the specific engagement, consistent with our licensing obligations.
Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information
- To respond to enquiries and prepare quotes
- To deliver the service you've engaged us for - electronic security installation and monitoring, managed IT and security services, compliance support, licensed investigations, or mercantile/debt collection services (the latter delivered as a subcontractor to a licensed WA debt collector)
- To invoice and manage the ongoing client relationship
- To meet our legal, licensing and regulatory obligations, including those under our Security & Inquiry Agent Licence
- For investigative and mercantile matters specifically: to carry out the lawful purpose instructed by our client (for example, locating a person, verifying a claim, or recovering a debt), and to report findings back to that client
We don't use personal information for a purpose other than what it was collected for, or a purpose you'd reasonably expect, without your consent - except where required or authorised by law.
Disclosure of personal information
We disclose personal information to:
- Our staff and subcontractors who need it to deliver a service (for example, the licensed WA debt collector we subcontract mercantile services to)
- The client who instructed an investigative or mercantile engagement, as the outcome/report of that engagement
- IT service providers that support our operations - including Microsoft (Microsoft 365 / Azure), Amazon Web Services, and other cloud or software providers used to run our business systems
- Professional advisers (accountants, lawyers) and regulators, where required
- Law enforcement or government agencies, where required or authorised by law
Overseas disclosure. Some of the cloud service providers we use operate infrastructure outside Australia, including in the United States. Where personal information may be processed or stored overseas as a result, we take reasonable steps to use providers with appropriate security and privacy safeguards. We don't otherwise sell or trade personal information to third parties.
Website enquiry and quote form
Our contact and quote-request forms collect your name, email, phone number, suburb, the service you're enquiring about, and your message. This is submitted securely to a mail-handling service hosted in Australia (AWS, Sydney region) so we can respond to your enquiry. If that fails for any reason, the form falls back to opening an email to us directly from your own device. We don't use this information for marketing without your consent.
Website analytics
We use two analytics tools to understand how our website is used. Cloudflare Web Analytics is designed not to use cookies or track individuals across websites, and doesn't collect personally identifiable information. Because it stores nothing on your device and collects nothing that identifies you, it runs on every visit. Google Analytics 4 does set cookies on your device, and collects information about your visit including your approximate location, the device and browser you use, the pages you view and how you reached the site. That information is collected and processed by Google, which may store it overseas, including in the United States. We use it only to understand which pages are useful and how people find us. We don't use advertising pixels, remarketing tags or similar advertising trackers on this site.
Your choice about cookies
Until you accept, Google Analytics is not loaded at all. Its script is never requested, no connection to Google is made, no cookies are set, and nothing about your visit is sent to them. The first time you visit, we ask. If you decline, we remove any Google Analytics cookies already on your device and none are set again. Cloudflare Web Analytics is unaffected either way, because it sets nothing to decline. We remember your answer in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie, and we ask again after twelve months. You can change your answer at any time using the Cookie Preferences link in the footer of any page, and you can also opt out of Google Analytics across every site you visit using Google's browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Clearing your browser's site data for this site resets the question.
Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. In practice this includes access controls and multi-factor authentication on business systems, encrypted storage and transmission where applicable, restricting access to personal information to those who need it, and secure disposal of information no longer required. We're in the process of formalising these practices into a documented information security management framework - this describes our current practice, not a certification claim.
We retain personal information only for as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law (for example, financial and licensing record-keeping obligations), after which it's securely deleted or de-identified.
Direct marketing
We don't send marketing communications unless you've asked to hear from us or we have another lawful basis to do so, and you can opt out at any time by contacting us using the details below.
Access and correction
You can ask us for access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it if it's wrong, by contacting us using the details below. We'll respond within a reasonable time. There may be circumstances where we can't give you access or make a correction - for example, information collected as part of an active licensed investigation on behalf of a client - in which case we'll explain why.
Complaints
If you think we've mishandled your personal information, contact us first using the details below and we'll investigate and respond. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time as our services or the law change. The current version will always be available on this page, with the last-updated date shown at the top.
Contact us
Owls Nest Solutions Pty Ltd
ABN 32 699 767 587 · Security & Inquiry Agent Licence: 82217
PO Box 246, Joondalup WA 6919