MEDIA GUIDES PRIVACY POLICY

The Media Guides (We, Our) is the operator of the network which includes mediaguides.com.au and the data controller for the personal information collected and processed via the network.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, hold and disclose your personal information. By accessing our websites or using our services, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy, including consent to us collecting, holding, using and disclosing your personal information for the purposes set out in this Policy, and agree to be bound by it. Whether you are new visitor to The Media Guides or a returning visitor or member, please take the time to get to know our privacy practices.

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) (subject to exemptions that apply to us under that Act) and any other applicable data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

What is personal information

When used in this Privacy Policy, the term “personal information” has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act or any other applicable data protection law. In general terms, it is any information that can be used to personally identify you. This may include (but is not limited to) your name, age, gender, postcode and contact details (including phone numbers and email addresses) and financial information, including your credit card, direct debit or PayPal account information. If the information we collect personally identifies you, or you are reasonably identifiable from it, the information will be considered personal information.

​What personal information do we collect and hold

We may collect and hold a range of personal information when you purchase products, contact us or register as a member including;

• your name;
• business and/or residential address;
• location information (including postcodes);
• email address;
• telephone number;
• information about your interactions with us;
• information about the products and services you have purchased from us or our partners, or which you have enquired about, together with any additional information necessary to deliver those products and services or to respond to your enquiries;
• information relating to you that you provide to us directly through our network or indirectly through use of our network or online presence through our representatives or otherwise;
• other personal information we may require from time to time to manage your business relationship with us.

​From time to time, to fulfil our service obligations to you as a customer, your personal data may be shared with trusted 3rd parties to verify and process payments, manage order fulfilment and communications with you.

​What are the types of non-personal data that we collect

The Media Guides collects data about your browsing activity on our network. We may also use non-personal information that we collect about you on our site to identify you on third party websites and apps, like Facebook. We may also collect anonymous internet usage data from third parties. We collect this data to show you more relevant products, if your behavior indicates a particular interest in a product, then a cookie is placed in your web browser which may determine the type of targeted advertising or content you see. Our goal is to improve your user experience – you’re served advertisements and content that we believe may be more relevant or useful to you.

Examples of content that we may analyze to create a better experience for you:

• the type of content displayed on a given web page;
• the geographical location of a user (i.e. identified by an IP address);
• specific searches undertaken by a user; or
• the type of customer (e.g. member versus browser).

Other reasons we may collect anonymous usage data include:   

• to limit the number of times users are served certain ads;
• to monitor the performance of our advertising campaigns;
• to audit, research, and analyse usage in order to maintain and improve our services, and to develop new services; and
• to provide you with product recommendations, based on your usage patterns.

We will not collect usage data or target advertisements based on the following market segments:

• racial or ethnic origin;
• political opinions;
• membership of a political association;
• religious beliefs or affiliations;
• philosophical beliefs;
• membership of a professional or trade association;
• membership of a trade union;
• sexual preferences or practices;
• criminal record;
• health information; or
• genetic information that is not otherwise health information.

What are cookies and how do we use them?

​A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your device when you visit our site. We use it to collect data about the actions you take on Media Guides. The cookie helps us to recognize your device the next time you visit our site. Most web browsers are set by default to accept cookies.

​We use cookies to personalize your browsing experience (for example, remembering your preferences and recognising you as a repeat visitor to our site), and to track statistics about the usage of our network. This allows us to better understand your preferences and improve the layout and functionality of The Media Guides. Our tracking can be setup to ensure your anonymity, as while the cookie may identify your computer, it will not identify you unless you are registered as a member. In that case, the cookie will be linked to your profile so that we can identify you and provide more relevant content.

​Below is an overview of the cookies we use on The Media Guides.

More specifically, our marketing cookies are used for remarketing, attribution and digital analytics. Remarketing is a method we use to serve targeted ads to users that have already visited The Media Guides. Our remarketing platforms place a cookie or similar technology in a user’s browser to serve specific ads on other websites, based on the pages or products the user has engaged with. Attribution is the process by which we assign value to a set of user interactions with these and other ads we serve on other websites.

​We may share data, such as hashed email derived from emails or other online identifiers collected on our site(s) with our advertising partners.This allows our partners to recognize and deliver you ads across devices and browsers. ​

Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing our site usage. Cookies or a similar technology anonymously measure the number of visits and visitors to the website or app and understand the user’s website or app experience and segment those that are either new to the website or app from those that are returning.

Retention

Your personal information will only be retained for as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required for a legal, accounting or reporting purpose.  We only store usage data for a reasonable period following the date of collection, or longer as required by law. You can also manage cookies in your web browser privacy settings.

Opting-Out

Our partners may use non-cookie technologies that may not be impacted by browser settings that block cookies. Your browser may not permit you to block such technologies. For this reason you can use the following third party tools to decline the collection and use of information for the purpose of serving you interest based advertising:

• The NAI’s opt-out platform
• The EDAA’s opt-out platform
• The DAA’s opt-out platform

Security

We will take all reasonable steps to protect the personal information that we hold from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including by means of firewalls, password access, secure servers and encryption of credit card transactions. We adhere to industry “best practice” for the storage of anonymous usage data.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Any updated versions of this Policy will be posted on our website. This Privacy Policy was last updated in October 2023.