Privacy Stuff

As of 21 Dec 2001 the Privacy Act comes into force for the private sector. To comply with this the following statement is made.
Any information collected will be for the purposes stated at time of collection, and for no other purpose without the prior consent of the subject of that information. eg. email addresses [those that are real as opposed to valid] that are captured on the Brisgraff and Graffonline system are for puposes of keeping in a list in order to mail news and other relevant information to those people on the list. People may always opt out if we intrude. We may obtain information about you directly from you in our Picture Verification Procedure, a process detailed on the News page.

No information collected by the Brisgraff or Graffonline web sites has been or will be passed on to ANY OTHER PERSON, BUSINESS, OR AGENCY, WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN [or electronic text] CONSENT OF THE PERSON THE INFORMATION CONCERNS**. Under the Privacy Act there is finally some security in law for information kept by us.

We are committed to your privacy and guard your data carefully. The online environment provides an unprecedented access to information, but the convergence of communication and information technologies also brings a range of information privacy issues to the centre of public concern.

Brisgraff and Graffonline have many obligations in relation to the protection of your privacy under various Federal Government Acts of Parliament, including the Telecommunications Act 1997. For more information on our obligations with your personal particulars, visit the Australian Privacy Commissioner’s website at http://www.privacy.gov.au.

What information do we collect and how do we use it?
Brisgraff and Graffonline does collect information about you at different times.
Instances include

Mandatory personal information needed for us to provide a service to you
Non-personally identifiable (specific or aggregated) information, to improve our services
Personal information voluntarily provided by you – for surveys at our site or for our Picture Verification Procedure, a process detailed here.

1. Personal information collected
Any information such as your name, contact details, age and gender may be collected. You will always be informed on the page if we are requesting information as to what information we ask for and what it will be used for. If you leave a valid [& real] email address on the Guest Book, the Noticeboard or in email communication with us, we will add it to our Graff Mailing List.You may always opt out if you think we have intruded. We will not disclose this personal information in any way to anyone unless we have received your express consent to do so.
**The only exception to this is if it is required by law – that is, to answer a subpoena, warrant or in response to other legal processes.
2. Non-personally identifiable information collected
Apart from this personal information we need to provide our service to you, there may be data (that does not personally identify you) collected to monitor and improve our service and performance. For example, when you visit a web page the URL requested is automatically recorded, as is the time and date requested, and the browser software being used.

Specific or aggregate information may be collected to help maintain accurate accounts, assist in marketing our products and services and to help make our web site useful to you. For example, our server recognises your domain name and the pages that you visit. This data is gathered in an aggregate manner for quality control and improvement of our sites.

What are "Cookies"?
A cookie is a message given to a web browser by a web server, which it stores for later use, so when you visit the web site again your browser recognises your preferences. Cookies generally enhance your Internet experience, but if you don’t want to receive cookies you can set your browser to notify you when you receive one, so you decide whether to accept them or not.

3. Personal information voluntarily given by you

Brisgraff and Graffonline surveys
We collect email addresses and your comments when you sign the guestbook or leave a notice on the Noticeboard. If ever you volunteer to be involved with a customer base survey, we use the information collected only to improve the Brisgraff/Graffonline online experience. These surveys are strictly confidential.
Third party offers and subscriptions at the Brisgraff & Graffonline sites
We do not reveal, disclose, sell, distribute, rent, license, share or pass on to any third parties your personal information without your consent. From time to time Brisgraff and Graffonline may form relationships with other organisations to bring you services, special offers, competitions and subscriptions. For any third party offer or subscription, we require as a matter of policy that the third party clearly states their intentions with any information gathered, and attaches their privacy policy as a hyperlink to the offer or subscription.

The terms and conditions of the offer should also be clearly stated. Please read this information carefully, and understand that it is your own choice should you choose to disclose your personally identifiable information to the third party. The information that you offer to the third party is voluntary.

If the third party offer involves an ongoing communication such as a newsletter, we require as a matter of policy that there be an easy-to-use unsubscribe function, so you are able to opt-out when you want to.

Brisgraff and Graffonline enters into third party business relationships with care, and will not share, disclose or sell any personally identifiable information collected at our site with third party companies or organisations without these conditions being met.

How to access, correct or update your personal information at Brisgraff or Graffonline. Only authorised persons have access to your personal information, which we keep in a secure offline environment. We realise it is important for you to be able to control your personal details. You may request by email any privacy issues you may have.

If you call Brisgraff or Graffonline by telephone, before any personal information is revealed or discussed you must correctly answer the verification of identity questions as a security measure.

Whilst Brisgraff or Graffonline undertakes all reasonable steps to protect your personal information, sending and receiving information over the Internet is always at your own risk. No guarantee can be given that information sent over the Internet is completely and 100% secure.

How do we safeguard your personal information?
High technology is used to ensure your sensitive information is secure and is protected from unauthorised access or improper use.

Unsolicited email (UCE) or "spam"
Spam is the Internet term for marketing or commercial email you receive for which you did not ask. Brisgraff or Graffonline does not and has never supported or condoned this practice.

Marketing mail from Brisgraff or Graffonline will generally be "opt-out" / "opt-out". This means that should you receive any commercial or marketing email from us you do not wish to receive you can send us a message telling us you would prefer not to receive the mail again and we will respect your wishes.

Children’s privacy
We do not market to children or knowingly collect personal information about children without parental consent. Children should always ask a parent before sending any transmission over the Internet.

Protecting your privacy
Brisgraff or Graffonline will never request your entire credit card details in an email. Do not ever submit your entire credit card details in email format. Never offer entire credit card details online in any form. Never offer credit card details in a chat room, via instant messaging services or in any other IRC environment.

Brisgraff or Graffonline undertakes all reasonable steps to ensure the privacy and safety of children using the Net. Your children’s privacy is very important to us, however the best way to ensure your children’s safety is to supervise their Internet usage. There is Parental Control Software that wil alow you to block whatever you wish to block. Search the Internet if you wish to take this option.

Always close your browser and log out once you have finished surfing the net to prevent other people gaining access to your information and correspondence. Brisgraff or Graffonline has no control over other web sites we may link to, and we take no responsibility for the conduct of these companies.

Always read the Terms and Conditions when using other web sites. Beware of posting personal information in public forums such as Internet chat groups or newsgroups. If you voluntarily disclose personal information it may be collected and used by others.

Privacy Officer contact
Should you have any questions or complaints about privacy issues please contact the Brisgraff or Graffonline privacy officer at contact@brisgraff.com