Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

OceanEar (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a sole-trader operation based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. We design and build hydrophone systems, develop the OceanEar iOS app, and offer related acoustic engineering services.

We are the agency responsible for personal information we collect, as defined in the Privacy Act 2020.

2. What we collect

Beta waitlist (this website)

When you join our beta waitlist on this site, we collect:

• First and last name
• Email address
• Self-declared role (e.g. researcher, diver, educator)

Email correspondence

If you contact us at hello@oceanear.co.nz, we receive whatever you put in the email, including your name, email address, and the content of your message.

The OceanEar iOS app

The app stores recordings, GPS tags, notes and metadata locally on your device, and we do not transmit them to our servers. The one exception is the optional AI Soundtrack feature: if you enable it and provide your own Replicate API key, the recording you select is uploaded to Replicate (USA) to generate music. This is off by default and only runs when you trigger it.

The app does not contain advertising trackers, analytics SDKs, or third-party data brokers. If we ever add anonymous, aggregated diagnostic reporting (e.g. crash logs), we will say so here first.

Server logs

Our website hosting provider records standard web server information (IP address, user agent, request timestamps) for security and uptime purposes. These logs are typically deleted within 30 days.

3. Why we collect it

• Beta waitlist: to send you a TestFlight invitation when a slot becomes available, and occasionally to send important updates about the beta.
• Email correspondence: to reply to your enquiry.
• App data on your device: to provide the core functionality of the app.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information for advertising or marketing by third parties.

4. Who we share it with

We use a small number of carefully selected third-party services to operate. They process limited personal information on our behalf:

• Formspree (USA), processes the beta waitlist form. Receives your name, email, and role. Formspree privacy policy.
• Apple TestFlight (USA / Ireland), if you accept a beta invitation, Apple will receive your email address as required to deliver the beta build. Apple privacy policy.
• Email provider, we use a standard email service to send and receive correspondence at our domain.
• Replicate (USA), only if you use the optional AI Soundtrack feature with your own API key. Receives the audio recording you choose to process. Replicate privacy policy.
• Web hosting provider, serves this website and processes server logs as described above.

We do not pass personal information to anyone else unless you have asked us to, or unless we are legally required to (for example, in response to a lawful court order).

5. Sending information overseas

Some of the providers above are located outside New Zealand (primarily in the United States and the European Union). Under Information Privacy Principle 12, we ensure that personal information sent overseas is protected by comparable safeguards, we only use providers with published privacy policies, security commitments, and (where applicable) GDPR or equivalent compliance.

6. How long we keep it

• Beta waitlist: until you ask us to remove you, or until the public app launch + 12 months, whichever comes first.
• Email correspondence: typically 24 months, then archived or deleted.
• Server logs: ~30 days.
• App data: stays on your device until you delete it. Uninstalling the app removes it.

7. Your rights under the Privacy Act 2020

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you (IPP 6).
• Correct personal information that is wrong (IPP 7).
• Withdraw from the waitlist or any future mailing list at any time.
• Ask us to delete your personal information, where we have no legitimate reason to keep it.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@oceanear.co.nz. We will respond within 20 working days, as required by the Privacy Act.

8. Cookies and tracking

This website does not set marketing cookies or use cross-site tracking technologies. The beta waitlist form, served through Formspree, may set strictly necessary functional cookies for spam protection. We do not run Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or similar trackers on this site.

9. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access (IPP 5). This includes HTTPS for all web traffic, access controls on our email and accounts, and limiting who can see your data internally to the people who genuinely need to.

No system is perfectly secure. If a notifiable privacy breach occurs that is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by the Privacy Act.

10. Children

OceanEar is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age. If you believe we have, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example, when we add a new feature or change a service provider. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent change. Material changes will be communicated by email to anyone on the waitlist.

12. Privacy Officer & contact

13. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. If you are still unhappy, you have the right to complain to the: