How The Choice handles your information

Last updated: 29 August 2026

This statement explains what personal information The Choice collects, why we use it, who may receive it, and how you can ask to see or correct the information we hold about you.

Information we collect

When you contact us or request an AI Visibility Check, we may collect your name, email address, business name, website, industry, location, the customer questions you want tested, and any message or supporting information you choose to provide.

Our website also records privacy-safe journey events such as opening a proof story or choosing a visibility check. These events do not store your name, email address, IP address or a browser fingerprint. Your light or dark display choice is stored in your browser using local storage.

Our hosting and security providers may process basic technical information, such as an IP address, browser details and request logs, to deliver and protect the website.

AI website guide

When you ask the website guide a question, it sends your question, the recent chat in this tab, the current and recently visited page paths, the external referring website, and any search or campaign term explicitly included in the landing-page URL to our AI provider. This context helps the guide answer from the published The Choice website and suggest a relevant next step.

Google organic referrals do not usually include the exact phrase you searched for. The guide does not try to infer a hidden query. Its page journey and recent chat are kept in session storage for the current browser session, and The Choice does not save the chat transcript in the CMS. Please do not share confidential or sensitive information in the guide.

Why we use it

We use personal information to respond to enquiries, prepare and deliver requested reports, process an order, provide support, resend a report, improve our services, protect the website from misuse, and meet legal or record-keeping requirements.

You can choose not to provide the information, but we may be unable to answer an enquiry or complete the requested service without the details needed for that work.

Visibility checks, payments and report delivery

Paid visibility checks use Stripe for hosted payment processing. The Choice receives payment status and transaction details needed to manage the order, but does not store your full card number.

A visibility check may use service providers that help us test questions, store evidence, create the report and send service emails. A Local Experts account may be created to deliver or manage a report provided as part of The Choice service. You may receive an account or report email from that platform.

Some service providers may process information outside New Zealand. We choose providers for a business purpose and share only the information reasonably needed to provide the service.

Who we may share information with

We may share relevant information with providers that host the website and CMS, process payments, deliver email, support report production or delivery, and provide professional or legal advice. We may also disclose information where required by law. We do not sell personal information.

Storage and security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards for the information we hold. We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the service, support, business records or legal obligations.

Your access and correction rights

You can ask for a copy of the personal information The Choice holds about you, or ask us to correct it. Contact our privacy contact, Cyrus Parsa, at hello@thechoice.co.nz. We may need to confirm your identity before releasing or changing information.

Questions or concerns

Please contact us first so we can try to resolve a privacy concern. You can also find information about your rights and make a complaint through the Office of the Privacy Commissioner New Zealand.

Changes to this statement

We may update this statement when our services, providers or legal obligations change. The latest version will remain available on this page.