1. Purpose and scope
This policy explains how Chatsifieds handles personal information in connection with Chatsifieds.com, Phrase Wall, business enquiries, support communications, advertising-enabled pages and related services.
We aim to use privacy-by-design practices and collect only information reasonably needed for the relevant function. Where the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) or another binding privacy rule applies to us, this policy is intended to describe how we meet those obligations. We may also apply similar safeguards as a matter of practice where a particular obligation does not apply.
2. What the current learner features keep on your device
The current Chatsifieds learning experience does not require a learner account. The following information is designed to remain in the learner's browser/device rather than becoming a Chatsifieds learner profile:
- lessons marked complete;
- saved Phrase Wall phrase identifiers;
- Practice Lab completion, result status, timestamps and attempt counts;
- the learning-insights opt-out preference; and
- offline copies of eligible static pages and assets stored by the service worker/browser cache.
Typed Practice Lab answers are not stored in the Chatsifieds learning-progress record. A name entered into the current printable certificate feature is used in the browser to render the certificate and is not transmitted to Chatsifieds by that certificate feature.
3. Information Chatsifieds may collect or receive
Depending on what you choose to do, Chatsifieds may receive:
- emails and support messages you send us, including your name, email address and the contents of the message;
- business partnership details you send, such as business name, contact person, email, website or map link, proposed phrase/situation, offer details and additional notes;
- approved partner content supplied for publication, such as a business name, logo, suburb, link, offer, code or booking information;
- ordinary server and security logs that may include IP address, date/time, requested URL, browser/device information and similar technical data;
- information required to administer a confirmed paid business service, invoice, payment or dispute if those services are used; and
- content or information you voluntarily submit through any future submission feature that clearly states it is being sent to Chatsifieds.
Do not send sensitive personal information, children's private details, identification documents or confidential third-party information unless we specifically request it and there is a lawful reason to do so.
4. First-party aggregate learning insights
Chatsifieds may receive bounded first-party events such as a lesson view/completion, phrase save, practice completion or a Search English no-result event. These signals are designed without a Chatsifieds account identifier, advertising identifier or persistent analytics visitor ID. The raw wording typed into Search English is not sent to the learning-signals endpoint; a no-result event is reduced in the browser to a broad topic class and coarse result/filter bucket.
Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track are honoured by the Chatsifieds first-party learning-insights feature. Learners can also disable those first-party learning signals from My Learning. This control does not by itself control cookies or identifiers that a separate third-party advertising provider may use.
5. Business enquiry collection notice
The current Phrase Wall business enquiry form is browser-side only: selecting “Create email enquiry” prepares an email in your email application. The form fields are not posted to the Chatsifieds web server by that feature. If you choose to send the email, Chatsifieds then receives the details through email and uses them to respond to the enquiry, assess suitability, prepare a proposal and, if you proceed, administer the business relationship.
You can enquire using only the information reasonably needed for us to respond. If you do not provide a usable contact method, we may be unable to reply.
6. How we use personal information
- provide, maintain, secure and troubleshoot the website;
- respond to support, privacy, learner, parent, teacher or business enquiries;
- assess, set up and administer approved Phrase Wall or partner arrangements;
- publish business information that an authorised partner has asked us to publish;
- prevent spam, fraud, misuse and security threats;
- meet accounting, legal, regulatory and dispute-handling requirements; and
- improve content and site usability using appropriately limited information.
7. Public partner information
If a business enters an approved sponsorship or partner arrangement, we may publish the business information agreed for that purpose, such as business name, logo, suburb, website/menu/map/booking link, offer, conditions and sponsored label. Partners must not provide customer or staff personal information for public display unless they are authorised to do so.
8. Cookies, advertising and external providers
Some Chatsifieds pages currently load Google advertising technology. Some pages also load external fonts, content-delivery libraries or other third-party resources. Those providers may receive technical request information and, depending on the provider, configuration, law and user settings, may use cookies, local storage or other identifiers. See the Cookie & Local Storage Policy.
The Chatsifieds first-party learning-insights system is separate from third-party advertising and is not used to build a named learner advertising profile.
9. Disclosure
We may disclose relevant information to service providers that help us operate the website or business, such as hosting, email, security, advertising, accounting, payment/invoicing and professional advisers. We may also disclose information where required or authorised by law, to respond to legal process, or where reasonably necessary to protect safety, rights or website security.
We do not sell learner contact lists to business sponsors. Business partners must not use Chatsifieds to harvest learner information.
10. Overseas processing
Some external technology providers operate internationally and may process technical or business information outside Australia. For services visibly used on the current public site, this can include processing in the United States and other countries where those providers operate. Hosting, email, security or business-service provider locations may change over time. You may contact us for current information that is reasonably available about likely overseas processing relevant to your interaction.
11. Direct marketing and electronic messages
Service replies and requested business communications are not treated as permission to send unlimited marketing. Where Australian spam laws apply to a commercial electronic message, we will use consent where required, accurately identify the sender, include valid contact details and provide a clear unsubscribe method. We will action a valid unsubscribe request within the period required by law and will not charge a fee to unsubscribe.
12. Security, retention and deletion
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. No internet service can promise absolute security.
We aim not to keep personal information longer than reasonably needed for the purpose for which it may lawfully be used, subject to legal, accounting, dispute, security and backup requirements. Where applicable, information that is no longer required will be deleted or de-identified using reasonable steps.
13. Access, correction and anonymous use
Most public learning pages can be used without identifying yourself. You may contact us to ask what personal information we hold about you, request access or correction, or ask a privacy question. We may need to verify identity before giving access or making a sensitive change. Applicable legal exceptions may limit access in some cases.
14. Data breaches
We maintain processes for assessing security incidents. If the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme or another notification law applies to us and an incident meets the legal notification threshold, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant regulator as required.
15. Children and young people
Chatsifieds is a general-audience educational website that may be useful to people under 18. The current public learning system does not require learner accounts or direct messaging between learners and business partners. We do not intentionally ask children to provide sensitive personal information through ordinary learning pages.
Australian children's online privacy rules are changing. At the date of this policy, the OAIC's Children's Online Privacy Code is still being finalised. We will review and update our practices and policies as required when the final Code is registered and where it applies to Chatsifieds.
16. Privacy complaints
Send a privacy complaint to [email protected] with enough information for us to understand the issue. We aim to acknowledge privacy complaints promptly and provide a substantive response within a reasonable period. If the Privacy Act applies and you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
17. Changes and contact
We may update this policy when our services or legal obligations change. The date at the top shows the latest version. Contact: [email protected].