PrivacyPolicy

Introduction

CIO247 ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website cio247.com or use our services, including our Virtual CIO AI service.

By accessing or using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, company name, and job title when you contact us or sign up for our services
• Account Information: Username, password, and profile information when you create an account
• Communication Data: Messages, feedback, and correspondence when you interact with our AI service or contact support
• Professional Information: Industry, organization size, IT challenges, and other business-related information you provide

Usage Information

We automatically collect certain information when you use our services:

• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information, operating system
• Usage Analytics: Pages visited, time spent on site, features used, search queries
• AI Interaction Data: Questions asked, responses generated, session duration and frequency
• Cookies and Tracking: Website preferences, authentication tokens, and analytics data

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

Service Provision

• Provide access to our free knowledge resources
• Deliver Virtual CIO AI responses and recommendations
• Maintain and improve our services
• Respond to your questions and provide customer support

Communication

• Send you service-related notifications and updates
• Provide information about new resources or features (with your consent)
• Respond to your inquiries and requests

Analytics and Improvement

• Analyze usage patterns to improve our content and services
• Understand user needs and preferences
• Develop new features and resources
• Ensure security and prevent fraud

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

• Analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand usage patterns
• Cloud hosting providers to maintain our services
• Email service providers for communications
• AI/ML service providers for Virtual CIO functionality

Legal Requirements

• When required by law or legal process
• To protect our rights, property, or safety
• To enforce our terms of service
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

Aggregated Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized data that cannot identify you individually for research, analytics, or marketing purposes.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

Technical Safeguards

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure hosting infrastructure
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and authentication

Organizational Measures

• Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Regular training on data protection practices
• Incident response procedures
• Regular review and update of security policies

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify you of any material breaches as required by law.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access and Portability

• Request access to your personal information
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
• Understand how your data is being used

Correction and Deletion

• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Withdraw consent for processing (where applicable)

Marketing Communications

• Opt out of marketing emails at any time
• Update your communication preferences
• Request to be removed from our mailing lists

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@cio247.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days and may ask you to verify your identity before processing.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services to you
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
• Improve our services through analytics

Specifically, we retain:

• Account Information: Until you delete your account or request deletion
• AI Interaction Data: Up to 2 years for service improvement
• Analytics Data: Up to 3 years in aggregated, anonymized form
• Support Communications: Up to 3 years for quality assurance

International Data Transfers

Our services are provided from Australia, but we may transfer your personal information to service providers located in other countries, including the United States and European Union. When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Standard contractual clauses
• Adequacy decisions by relevant authorities
• Certification schemes (e.g., Privacy Shield successors)
• Binding corporate rules where applicable

Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so we can delete such information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website

Your continued use of our services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

For general inquiries about our services, please visit our contact page or email us at hello@cio247.com.

Australian Privacy Principles

As an Australian business, we are committed to complying with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988. This includes:

• Open and transparent management of personal information
• Anonymity and pseudonymity options where practicable
• Collection only of necessary personal information
• Dealing with unsolicited personal information appropriately
• Notification of collection and purposes
• Use and disclosure only for stated purposes
• Direct marketing compliance and opt-out mechanisms
• Cross-border disclosure safeguards
• Government related identifier restrictions
• Data quality and security measures
• Access and correction procedures

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