Privacy policy

Cognisance (“we”, “us”) provides an AI-powered business advisor that helps Australian small businesses keep on top of their obligations, documents and decisions. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

We collect:

• Account details, your name, email address and sign-in credentials (passwords are managed by our identity provider and are never visible to us).
• Business content you choose to provide, the documents you upload, the questions you ask, and the facts you confirm or correct. This is the heart of the product: it is how Cognisance learns about your business.
• Usage and technical data, logs, device and browser information, and service metrics that keep the product reliable and secure.
• Enquiry details, if you contact us through the website, the name, email and message you submit.

• To provide the service: answering your questions, organising your business knowledge, and flagging deadlines and conflicts.
• To operate, secure and improve the platform.
• To respond to your enquiries and provide support.
• To meet our legal obligations.

We do not sell your data. We do not use your business content to train AI models, and we do not share it with other customers. Your knowledge base is yours.

Cognisance uses large language models to read your documents and answer your questions. When you ask a question or upload a document, relevant excerpts may be processed by third-party AI providers under contracts that prohibit them from using your data to train their models. Answers are generated from your own information wherever possible and are presented with sources so you can verify them. AI-generated responses can contain errors and are not a substitute for professional legal, accounting or financial advice.

Your data is stored in Australia (AWS, Sydney region). Each customer’s data is encrypted with keys unique to their account, and access within our systems is logged and restricted. Some AI processing involves transmitting excerpts of your content to AI providers that may operate infrastructure outside Australia; we only use providers under terms consistent with this policy.

We keep your information while your account is active. If you close your account, we will delete your business content within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain specific records. You can also request deletion of specific documents or facts at any time from inside the product.

You may request access to, or correction of, the personal information we hold about you. If you have a concern about how we’ve handled your information, contact us first and we’ll work to resolve it; you can also complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Questions about this policy or your data: use the contact form on our homepage and we’ll get back to you within one business day.