Security & trust
See the controls behind OurCommons in plain English, with technical detail available when you want it. Select any interactive item to learn more.
AES-256-GCM
Ballot encryption
Sydney
Primary data region
Append-only
Financial ledger
Recorded
Disbursement approvals
Trust-account disbursements pass through an approval workflow tied to an authorised person before they can be completed.
Approval checks are enforced by the application and database workflow. The approving identity, decision and completion events are recorded for audit.
Privileged operational access is restricted and separate from the customer approval workflow.
Once a ledger entry is posted, corrections use a reversing entry. The original entry remains in the record.
All financial records are stored in an immutable append-only ledger: modifications and deletions are rejected at the database level. Correcting an error follows the same convention as production accounting: a reversing entry, not a deletion.
Financial calculations use decimal arithmetic and banker's rounding rather than binary floating-point amounts.
Primary application data and files are hosted in Sydney. Some optional services process limited data overseas; our privacy policy names those providers and explains the purpose.
Supabase is configured in AWS region ap-southeast-2, with encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit.
Vercel serves the application globally. Resend handles transactional email, while Anthropic and OpenAI may process information for enabled AI and search features. See the privacy policy for current locations and purposes.
Access is scoped by organisation, building and role, with database policies and server-side authorisation checks working together.
Row-level security and server-side building checks derive access from the authenticated session instead of trusting a building identifier supplied by the browser.
Within a building, role and capability checks limit access to the records and actions each person needs.
When an owner casts a secret-ballot vote, it's encrypted the moment it's cast and stays sealed until the ballot is formally revealed. Every voter gets a cryptographic receipt they can check later to confirm their vote was recorded exactly as cast, and individual choices are never shown to other participants.
AES-256-GCM encryption with a unique 256-bit session key per ballot and a random IV per vote. HMAC-SHA256 receipt over choice + voter + ticket + time + building.
The receipt token can be checked at /votes/verify. The platform recomputes the HMAC to confirm that the stored vote matches the receipt.
Managed database backups and documented recovery controls support restoration if the service or stored data is disrupted.
Backup retention and recovery options are managed through Supabase and reviewed as the service changes. Recovery procedures cover both application deployment and database restoration.
The application deployment and primary database are separated, and Sentry monitors application errors.
Our product design is informed by the Privacy Act, NSW strata and property-agent legislation, and WCAG 2.2 AA guidance. State-specific requirements still need to be configured and reviewed for each use case.
Australian Privacy Act and APP considerations are described in the privacy policy, including cross-border processing.
NSW strata workflows cover meetings, by-laws, notices and records, with configuration for jurisdiction and building circumstances.
Trust-accounting controls include an append-only ledger, double-entry records, approval workflows, bank reconciliation and ABA payment files.
Accessibility work targets WCAG 2.2 AA, including colour contrast, keyboard navigation, visible focus and screen-reader support.
Architecture
Select each layer to understand what it does in plain English.
Standards and legislation we design around (select to learn more)
Email aden@ourcommons.co with anything. We usually answer the same day.
Ask us about our security controls, subprocessors, data handling and compliance approach.
What now?
Book a 30-minute call. We'll show you the controls in action: the immutable ledger, the RLS policies, the audit pack. Then you can decide for yourself.