Privacy Policy

This website has been developed by the Code Oversight Body for the administration of the Online Safety Code for dating services (Code). The Code Oversight Body may need to collect your personal information in certain circumstances to enable the bodies it has established (such as the Code Compliance Committee and Code Secretariat) to perform their functions set out under the Code.

This privacy policy explains how the Code Oversight Body and the bodies established under the Code (collectively “we”, “our”, “us”) will handle your personal information.

This privacy policy does not deal with the way in which dating services handle your personal information in relation to your user account and interactions with the dating service. You should refer to the privacy policy of the dating service in the first instance if you would like to know more about how your personal information is handled by the dating service and how you may be able to seek access or correction of your personal information held by the dating service.

What is personal information?

When used in this privacy policy, the term “personal information” has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Generally speaking, personal information is any information that can be used to personally identify you. This may include your name, address, telephone number, email address and profession or occupation.

What kinds of personal information we collect and how we collect this information

We collect personal information only where this information is reasonably necessary for our Code-related functions and activities such as reviewing and resolving complaints involving contraventions or alleged contraventions of the Code. If the information that we collect personally identifies you, or you are reasonably identifiable from it, then we will treat that information as your personal information.

When you visit our website or submit a Code complaint or general enquiry form through this website, we may collect personal information such as your name and contact details, and any other information relating to you which you may provide. We may collect sensitive information (including health information) about you if you choose to include this information in the form(s) you submit

We may need to verify with you the information which you provided in your submitted form. In these circumstances, we may collect your personal information from you through a phone call or by email, depending on the contact details you provided to us. With your consent, we may also need to collect your personal information from a third party such as a dating service if we need to check with them about any of the details in your complaint or general enquiry.

Cookies

When you visit our website we may send a ‘cookie’ to your computer. This is a small data file stored by your computer to help improve functionality or tailor information to provide visitors to our website with more relevant pages.

We may also analyse website traffic to identify what visitors find most interesting so we can tailor our website accordingly. As our website is linked to the internet, and the internet is inherently insecure, we cannot provide any assurance regarding the security of transmission of information you communicate to us online.

We also cannot guarantee that the information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted over the internet. Accordingly, any personal information or other information which you transmit to us online is transmitted at your own risk.

How we will hold, use and disclose your personal information

Your personal information will be held in a database which can only be accessed by people who are authorised by the Code Oversight Body to do so.

We will only use your personal information for purposes related to the administration of the Code such as responding to your Code complaint or general enquiry. We may also use your de‑identified information for related reporting and analytical purposes (such as analysing the nature of Code complaints or general enquiries received through the website).

We may need to disclose your personal information to a third party such as a dating service if we require further information from them to respond to your Code complaint or general enquiry. This may include disclosing your personal information to a dating service which is based outside of Australia. By submitting a complaint or a general enquiry via the Code website, you permit the Code Oversight Body to share such personal information with the requisite dating service.

We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is protected from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We may hold your information in either electronic or hard copy form. Personal information is destroyed or de-identified when no longer needed or when we are no longer required by law to retain it (whichever is the later).

Third party websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the privacy practices of any third party website and we are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of any third party website. Third party website providers are responsible for informing you about their own privacy practices.

How to access your personal information or correct your personal information

You may request access or correction to the personal information we may hold about you by contacting the Code Oversight Body through the General Enquiry Form. We will only be able to provide you with access to, or correction of, your personal information which you have submitted as part of a Code complaint in accordance with the privacy policy of the dating service which the Code complaint relates to. Please refer to the privacy policy of the dating service that is relevant to the Code complaint which includes your personal information.

If you wish to access your personal information, or correct any personal information which you believe is incorrect, out of date, incomplete or misleading, in relation to your account or interactions with a dating service (other than in respect of a Code complaint), you should refer your access request directly to the dating service.

Acceptance

By using this website or submitting a Code complaint or general enquiry form, you accept and agree to us handling your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy. We review our policies regularly and occasionally may need to change or update them. Any updated versions of this privacy policy will be posted on our website and will be effective from the date of posting.