1. Who we are
Web Hosting Centre Australia ("we", "us", "WHC") is a trading division of ARKNET PTY LTD, an Australian-registered company. We provide web hosting, domain registration, and email services through webhostingcentre.au and our billing portal at billing.arknet.com.au. This policy covers personal information we collect through those services and this website.
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Identity and contact details — your name, email address, phone number, business name, and billing address.
- Account information — login details for your client portal and the services you hold with us.
- Billing information — invoices, payment records, and the details needed to process payment. Card payments are processed securely by our payment provider, eWAY (
eway.com.au); we do not store full card numbers on our systems. In some cases we also accept payment by bank transfer, in which case we receive the bank details you provide. - Domain registration details — the registrant information required by the relevant domain registry. Note that for
.audomains, certain registrant details are published in the public WHOIS as required by auDA, and this is outside our control. - Support communications — the content of support tickets and live-chat conversations you have with us.
- Technical data — IP address, browser and device information, and server logs generated when you use our website or services, plus website analytics (see section 5).
3. How we collect it
We collect personal information:
- Directly from you — when you sign up, place an order, pay an invoice, open a support ticket, or chat with us.
- Automatically — through server logs, cookies, and analytics when you visit the website or use our services.
- From third parties — such as our payment provider and the domain registry, where needed to provide a service you've requested.
4. How we use it
We use personal information to:
- set up, provide, maintain, and renew your hosting, domain, and email services;
- process payments and issue invoices and renewal notices;
- respond to your support requests and communicate with you about your account;
- protect our network and customers — detecting, preventing, and responding to abuse, fraud, and security threats;
- meet our legal, tax, and regulatory obligations; and
- understand how the website is used so we can improve it.
We do not sell your personal information, and we don't use your data for unrelated marketing without your consent.
7. Overseas disclosure
Your hosting and email data lives on servers we own and operate in Australian data centres (Sydney and Brisbane). However, some of the third-party tools we use — such as Google Analytics, Tawk.to, and Cloudflare — may store or process limited data (for example, analytics and security data) on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is handled appropriately, consistent with APP 8.
8. Storage and security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access, in line with APP 11. These include encrypted connections (TLS/SSL), access controls, anti-DDoS protection at the network edge, and keeping customer hosting data within our Australian data centres. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your information, we can't guarantee absolute security.
9. How long we keep it
We keep personal information for as long as you hold an active account with us, and afterwards only for as long as we need it — for example, to meet legal and tax record-keeping obligations (financial records are generally kept for at least five years). When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it. Note that cancelling a hosting service removes the data stored on our servers for that account, so you should keep your own backups before cancelling.
10. Accessing and correcting your information
You have the right to ask what personal information we hold about you and to request that we correct it if it's inaccurate, in line with APPs 12 and 13. Most account details can be viewed and updated directly in your client portal at billing.arknet.com.au. For anything else, open a support ticket and we'll help. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
11. Data breaches
We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will notify those individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by law.
12. Complaints
If you believe we've mishandled your personal information, please contact us first (see section 14) so we can look into it and put it right. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. The "last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be reflected here, so it's worth checking back periodically.
14. Contact
For any privacy question or request, open a ticket through your client portal at billing.arknet.com.au, or get in touch via our contact page. We'll respond as promptly as we can.