At Realtime Conveyancer, we are committed to best practices around data security and have clear policies around how we collect, use and protect the data in our system. We’re happy to share these in detail below and encourage all conveyancers to use these guidelines as benchmarks for ALL your technology and service providers.
- What data privacy regulations does Realtime Conveyancer meet?
Companies, including proptech businesses like Realtime Conveyancer, that collect, use, disclose, transfer or otherwise handle personal information must ensure we at all times comply with the applicable privacy laws, including the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Privacy Act Review 2023. As holders of data, we must also comply with the Australian Government’s Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme.
- What type of data can I expect Realtime Conveyancer to collect from me?
As a client of Realtime Conveyancer, we will collect the name, email address, phone number and postal address of the conveyancing practices that do business with us and the authorised person within the business to make decisions about your account. We may also collect financial information such as your bank or credit card details in connection with payment with our services and the contact details of those members of your team who need to use Realtime Conveyancer. In addition, it is important to us that our users are licensed conveyancers, so we may also ask to see, or have you verify that you are licensed.
- How will the personal data that is collected from me be used by Realtime?
We use your personal information to verify your identity, provide products and services, and process requests, enquiries, complaints or applications. We may also use the data within our systems to conduct website and system administration tasks such as technical support. It is also often used for delivering news or promotional information and conducting market research surveys. You may also be on our marketing database, which means we have collected your name, company and email address and will send you information from time to time about our news, products and services. You can opt out of marketing communications by clicking the unsubscribe link in the emails at any time.
- Does Realtime have access to my own client data?
At Realtime Conveyancer, we do have the ability to access the data that conveyancers input into our system. This access is strictly limited to support purposes – for instance when a customer reports an issue that needs to be resolved, the access allows us to see what has occurred and fix the issue.
To ensure the privacy and security of your data, only selected members of our support team are granted this access. We have stringent policies in place that restrict data access, ensuring that it is only accessed as necessary to address specific customer issues.
Our commitment is to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of your data, and we do not claim any ownership or additional rights to the data you entrust to our system.
It’s our default stance to support data portability, allowing you to easily retrieve your data if you decide to end our services.
It is also wise to implement access controls and user permissions within your own business to limit data access to only those members of Realtime Conveyancer – or any other technology provider – who need it to provide the service. Ie: don’t give open-ended access to everyone.
You should ensure that every technology business you work with supports data portability so that you can retrieve your data from their platform if you decide to discontinue their services. At Realtime Conveyancer this is our default position.
If you have any concerns about how your data is managed, we encourage you to consult with legal counsel or a privacy expert to review the terms and conditions of your agreement for peace of mind.
- How can I be sure that the data I provide is secure and confidential?
At Realtime Conveyancer, ensuring the security and confidentiality of your data is a critical priority. We employ a robust suite of security measures powered by the sophisticated infrastructure of Microsoft Azure. Azure’s security encompasses a comprehensive set of compliance certifications and built-in security controls designed to protect against a wide array of cyber threats.
Access to our databases is secured using Cloudflare, which provides an additional layer of security including DDoS attack mitigation, secure DNS services, and traffic filtering and monitoring to further safeguard your data.
On the endpoint side, our team utilizes Sophos Intercept X, a next-generation anti-virus solution, to prevent, detect, and respond to advanced cyber threats. This advanced endpoint security software offers multiple features, such as ransomware protection, deep learning technology, exploit prevention, and more, to provide robust security for devices used by our team.
Combined, these security measures form a strong defense against potential cyber threats, ensuring that your data remains secure and confidential when entrusted to Realtime Conveyancer.
- What if my data is stored in the cloud?
At Realtime, we ensure your data is securely stored in the cloud with Microsoft Azure, primarily in the Australia East (Sydney) datacentre, with secondary backups in the Australia Southeast (Melbourne) datacentre. While we previously mentioned an Australian-owned hosting provider with various certifications, it’s important to clarify that our current data storage and backup solutions are exclusively managed through Microsoft Azure. Azure’s infrastructure provides robust security measures, including ISO:9001, ISO:27001, SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II certifications, and more. This ensures that your data is not only secure but also compliant with data residency regulations.
- Will my data be encrypted?
Yes. At Realtime Conveyancer, we ensure that your data is encrypted during transmission and while at rest. We use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to secure data as it travels between your devices and our services, protecting against eavesdropping, tampering, and message forgery. Once your data arrives at Realtime services, it is further protected with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, which is a widely adopted and trusted cipher, used globally and by the US government to protect classified information.
- Will Realtime Conveyancer use my data for analytics or profiling activities?
Like most proptechs and conveyancing technology providers, Realtime reserves the right to collect, aggregate, monitor and use usage data to improve the functionality, performance and further development of the service we provide. But this does not include any of your client data. This means that we use the data in our system that shows us how you and your team are using the Realtime Conveyancer platform to constantly improve what we do. But we do not look at your individual client names, addresses or individual records.
- Will I be able to access, correct or request deletion of my data from Realtime Conveyancer?
At Realtime Conveyancer we have an easily accessible process for you to correct, update or request deletion of your data from our platform. There is also a complaints process. This information is included in the company’s Privacy Policy and published on our website.
- What do I need to know about data retention and deletion?
At Realtime Conveyancer we have clear policies on how we handle the storage, retention and deletion of data we collect and process. In addition, our Data Retention and Deletion Policy complies with Australian data privacy regulations including the Privacy Act 1988, the Privacy Act Review 2023 and the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme.
Retention periods for each category of data collected is specified and determined based on legal requirements, business needs and the purposes for which it was collected. Different types of data have different retention periods.
The procedures for securely deleting data are outlined, including information on how it is securely erased from databases, backups and other storage systems. The destruction methods comply with relevant regulations.
- Is it standard for a proptech like Realtime Conveyancer to share my data with third parties?
Many technology providers to the conveyancing industry, including Realtime, typically provide information to third parties such as: service providers including data processing and data warehousing services; courts; anyone authorised by the individual who has supplied the data; public authorities; providers of information services; providers of customer relationship management database services and marketing database services. Ensure you have been made aware of how your information may be shared.
If your data is disclosed or transferred outside of Australia, the technology provider you use should ensure it takes reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy continues to be protected in a manner consistent with Australian law.
- What happens if there is a data breach that may affect my information?
Realtime Conveyancer relies on Microsoft Azure’s robust security infrastructure to safeguard your data against breaches. Azure employs a comprehensive suite of security technologies and practices to prevent unauthorized access and detect potential threats. In the unlikely event of a data breach, Realtime Conveyancer is committed to adhering to industry standards and best practices.
A data breach occurs when personal information is lost or subjected to unauthorised access or disclosure. This includes when a customer’s personal information is lost or stolen, a database is hacked or personal information is mistakenly given to the wrong person.
Under the Australian Government Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme, any organisation covered by the Privacy Act 1988 must notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner when a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to an individual whose personal information is involved. Notification must include recommendations about the steps a customer should take in response to the data breach. Realtime Conveyancer is committed to adhering to this scheme.
