Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

FormMate 80 ("we", "us", "our") is an independent web service that helps visa applicants fill out the Australian Government's Form 80 Personal Character Assessment. We are not affiliated with the Australian Government or the Department of Home Affairs.

For privacy enquiries, contact us at formmate80.com.au/contact.

2. Information we collect

When you use FormMate 80, we may collect:

• Account information: your name and email address when you register.
• Form answers: the information you enter while completing your Form 80 (personal details, travel history, employment history, family details, and character disclosures). This data is stored against your account so you can save progress and return later.
• Authentication data: a hashed (one-way encrypted) version of your password, or a Google account identifier if you sign in with Google.
• Usage data: standard web server logs including IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with IP anonymisation enabled for aggregated, anonymised traffic analysis. GA4 data is not used for advertising. See Google's Privacy Policy.

We do not collect payment information. FormMate 80 is free to use.

3. How we use your information

• To provide the service: save your form progress and generate your completed PDF.
• To authenticate you and keep your account secure.
• To respond to support requests submitted via the contact form.
• To send transactional emails (password reset links). We do not send marketing emails.

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

4. How we store and protect your data

Your data is stored in a PostgreSQL database hosted on Render (infrastructure located in the United States). We apply the following security controls at the application layer:

• Field-level encryption: All form answers (all parts of Form 80) and your display name are encrypted with AES-128 (Fernet) before being written to the database. The encryption key is held separately from the database and is never logged or exposed. Even if someone gained access to the raw database, they would see only ciphertext.
• Email hashing: Your email address is stored both as a Fernet-encrypted value (for sending emails) and as an HMAC-SHA256 hash (for login lookup). Login queries are performed against the hash — your plaintext email is never used in a database query.
• Password hashing: Passwords are hashed with bcrypt and never stored in plaintext. We cannot retrieve your password.
• Audit logging: We maintain an internal audit log of security-relevant events (sign-in, PDF download, form save, account deletion). The log records only the event type, a hashed (non-reversible) user identifier, a partial IP address (last octet removed), and a timestamp. No form field values are ever written to the audit log.
• Transport security: All connections are served over HTTPS (TLS). Session cookies are set with HttpOnly, SameSite=Lax, and Secure flags.

5. Data retention and automatic deletion

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. For form answer data specifically:

• Active accounts: Your saved form answers are retained indefinitely while your account is active.
• Inactive accounts — 90-day rule: If your account has been inactive for 83 days and you have not downloaded a completed PDF, we will send a warning email to the address on file. If no login occurs within a further 7 days (90 days total of inactivity), your saved form answers are permanently deleted. Your account record itself is retained (so you can log back in), but all form data is removed.
• Exceptions: If you have downloaded at least one PDF, your form data is retained regardless of inactivity period, on the assumption that you may need to return and make corrections.
• Immediate deletion: You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time directly from the app. Deletion is instant and complete — no waiting period, no need to contact us.

6. Third-party services

• Resend — used to send transactional emails (password resets and inactivity warnings). Resend receives your email address when these messages are sent.
• Google OAuth — if you choose to sign in with Google, Google shares your name and email address with us. We do not receive your Google password. Google's privacy policy applies to that interaction.
• Google Fonts — fonts are loaded from Google's CDN. Google may log your IP address as part of this request.
• Google Analytics 4 — used for anonymised, aggregated traffic analysis with IP anonymisation enabled. GA4 data is not used for advertising.

7. Cookies and session data

We use a single session cookie to keep you logged in. This cookie is strictly necessary for the service to function. It is not used for advertising or cross-site tracking. The cookie is set with HttpOnly, SameSite=Lax, and Secure flags.

Google Analytics 4 may set first-party cookies for anonymised analytics purposes. We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or cross-site tracking cookies.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you — contact us and we will provide a copy within 30 days.
• Correct inaccurate data — update your form answers directly in the app at any time.
• Delete your account and all data instantly — use the "Delete Account" option in app settings. Deletion is immediate and permanent; no email to us required.
• Export your form answers — available via the app dashboard at any time before deletion.
• Object to processing — if you believe we are processing your data without a lawful basis, contact us.

For access or objection requests, contact us. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of FormMate 80 after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please use our contact form.