Australian Associated Press Pty Ltd (AAP) respects the privacy of its customers, business contacts and suppliers. AAP understands that the privacy of your information is important to you.
This policy outlines the types of personal information which AAP collects and how AAP handles that information. The policy also outlines how you may access and seek correction of personal information which AAP holds about you. This policy reflects AAP's obligations under the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) which are contained in the Privacy Act 1988.
Personal information is any information that can be used to identify an individual and includes such personal details as name, address, telephone numbers, date of birth; email address and IP address.
With the exception of AAP's editorial department, AAP's Message Connect Service and AAP's MediaNet Service, this policy applies to all of AAP's business units and AAP's subsidiaries such as Pagemasters Pty Ltd
1. AAP's products and services
AAP is one of Australia's largest content originators and aggregators. AAP provides a variety of online and offline information products such as news, finance, racing, media and general interest information. AAP's products and services include:
- news and current affairs information feeds;
- financial information products;
- real time and archive photographic services;
- racing and pedigree information; and
- media release distribution service, provided across a range of technology platforms including by facsimile, broadcast, Internet and new technology mediums.
For the purposes of this policy, the products and services described in this section will be referred to as "our products and services".
2. What personal information does AAP collect?
AAP collects personal information about its retail and business customers and other business contacts, such as AAP's suppliers and contractors, in a variety of ways.
(a) Existing Customers
If you are an AAP customer (who has asked to be provided with our products and services), AAP may collect certain types of personal information about you, such as your name, address and contact information (including email address). AAP collects this information in order to provide you with our products and services and to manage our relationship with you. At the time of collecting this personal information, AAP may also request other information about you to assist AAP in identifying which of our current and future products and services may be of interest to you.
(b) Potential Customers
Sometimes AAP identifies the contact details of potential customers and business contacts through AAP's own investigations. If you are a potential customer, information about you may be collected for the purpose of advising you about those of our products and services which may be of interest to you. If we do collect personal information about you in this way, we will provide you with the opportunity to control how that information is used by AAP. This is discussed further in this Policy at 3(b) below.
(c) Business Contacts & Suppliers
If you or your organisation enters into or is likely to enter into any business dealings with AAP, AAP will collect the personal information necessary for the relevant business transaction with you and/or your organisation. This will include all personal information contained in all correspondence and any agreement between you and AAP.
(d) Online Collection
For anyone who deals with AAP or one of AAP's business units online, AAP will also collect additional information as a result of your use of our websites. This additional information may or may not identify you.
Information collected through the websites of AAP and AAP's business units will include the information which you voluntarily provide. This may include information provided as part of a customer service enquiry or a registration form. Some pages may require you to provide your username and login.
The additional information collected online may also include the type of your Internet browser, operating system, address of the referring site, your IP address and clickstream information. AAP may also collect information about the use which is made of AAP's websites using your username and password.
(e) Cookies
AAP may use cookies on its website. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user's browser. Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies. However, if you do not wish to receive any cookies you may set your browser to refuse cookies.
3. How does AAP use your personal information?
(a) Provision of our products and services
If you are an AAP customer or potential customer, AAP uses the personal information we collect to provide you with our products and services and with information about our products and services. This includes administering your account with us, customer service and providing any information which you have requested.
(b) Information about our products and services
If you are an existing or potential customer, AAP may use personal information about you to advise you about our products and services from time to time.
When AAP uses personal information in this way, AAP will give you the option to decide whether or not you wish to receive information about our products and services and related information. Please let us know if you do not want personal information about you to be used for these purposes.
(c) Business Contacts
AAP's policy is to use business contact information (collected in relation to its suppliers and other business contacts) for the business purpose for which it was collected.
(d) Online Information
If you use an AAP website to access our products and services, AAP may use information about the use you have made of our websites for the purpose of monitoring your compliance with applicable terms for the use of the website, your actual use of the website, and billing. Your login name and password will identify you online.
(e) Statistical Information
AAP may use information, including that collected through our website, for statistical purposes to improve the range of our products and services. If it does so, aggregated (ie de-identified) information will generally be used.
4. Does AAP give your personal information to anyone else?
(a) Third Party Suppliers & Contractors
AAP may disclose personal information to third party contractors and service providers who help us operate our business or to provide you with our products and services. This may include AAP's "information sources" who provide AAP with information and materials for inclusion in our products and services. It is AAP's policy to require these third parties and contractors to only use the personal information for the purpose for which it has been provided to them by AAP.
(b) Disclosures Required for Legal Reasons
For legal reasons, other disclosures may need to be made to law enforcement agencies, government agencies, courts or external advisors. AAP's policy is to only make such disclosures in accordance with the Privacy Act.
5. How secure is your info and how can you opt out?
Under the Privacy Act, you have a right to seek access to information which AAP holds about you (although there are some exceptions to this). You also have the right to ask us to correct information about you which is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
If you wish to exercise your right under the Privacy Act to seek access to or correct the personal information that AAP holds about you, we ask that you contact AAP's Privacy Officer by e-mail at privacy@aap.com.au, or by mail to PO Box 3411, Rhodes Waterside, Rhodes NSW 2138. When contacting AAP's Privacy Officer, please provide as much detail as possible to assist us to follow-up your request.
In the first instance, we will generally provide you with a summary of the information we hold about you. We will assume (unless you tell us otherwise) that your request relates to our current records about you. These current records will include personal information about you which is included in our computers, databases and in paper files, and which may be used by AAP on a day to day basis.
To provide you with access to this personal information, AAP will ordinarily provide you with a print-out of the relevant personal information from our databases, or with photocopies of records which are held only on paper files. If personal information about you (for example, your name & address details) is duplicated across different databases, we will generally provide you with one print-out of this information, rather than multiple print-outs. Ordinarily, AAP will not charge you for the cost of providing this type of access to these records.
For legal and administrative reasons, AAP may also store records containing personal information in its archives. You may seek access to the records held by AAP which are not current records, but if you do so, we may charge you for the cost of providing access.
Also, please be aware that if the relevant personal information was collected before 21 December 2001, AAP will only provide you with access in accordance with section 16C of the Privacy Act 1988. This states that access must only be provided to personal information collected before 21 December 2001 if we use and disclose that information after that date, and that providing access would not cause an unreasonable administrative burden or unreasonable expense.
If you are of the view that personal information about you is not accurate, complete or up to date, please provide AAP's Privacy Officer with your request for correction. AAP's policy is to consider any requests for correction in a timely way.
6. Is your personal information stored safely?
AAP takes reasonable steps to ensure the security of personal information held by it from such risks as loss or unauthorised access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure. Our IT systems are password protected, protected by firewalls and satisfy other industry standard security measures, and if personal information is held on paper files, it is only accessed by authorised personnel.
7. Contacting AAP
If you have any questions or comments about this privacy policy, or if you have a compliant about the handling of personal information relating to you, please contact AAP's Privacy Officer by one of the following methods:
Email:
privacy@aap.com.au
Mail:
PO Box 3411
Rhodes Waterside
Rhodes NSW 2138
8. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This privacy policy may change from time to time. This policy was last updated on 17 May 2006.
9. Australian Privacy Commissioner
If you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle your enquiry or complaint, you can contact the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner by any of the following methods:
Tel: 1300 363 992 (for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia); TTY: 1800 620 241 (this number is dedicated for the hearing impaired only, no voice calls); mail: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001; Fax: +61 2 9284 9666; or email: privacy@privacy.gov.au.