Policy Statement
The ABC (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy when you interact with us, our content, products, or services. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Purpose of this Policy
This policy explains our personal information handling practices. It describes how we may collect, use, and disclose information about you or your use of our content, products, or services.
ABC Program Material is not subject to the Privacy Act; it is governed by the ABC Code of Practice and ABC Editorial Policies.
You can find the date of the most recent review of this policy at the end of this document.
1. Collection of Personal Information
1.1 Kinds of personal information we collect
The kinds of personal information we collect about you may include:
- your name;
- login details;
- contact details;
- demographic information;
- competition entries;
- preferences and interests;
- user generated content;
- research or survey responses; and
- payment details.
Some of the personal information we collect about you may be sensitive information, including information about your race or ethnicity, political opinions or affiliations, religious beliefs or affiliations, physical or mental health and sexuality. The ABC will not ask for sensitive information about you when you create an ABC Account.
Depending on the circumstances of collection, it may be possible for you to provide information to the ABC in a pseudonymous way so that your identity is not revealed. For example, you may wish to sign up for an ABC Account by using an email address that does not include your name and by providing a nickname rather than your actual name. The same applies in relation to any profiles you create on ABC iview.
In some circumstances however this may not be practicable, for example where a person must disclose their identity before being granted entry to the ABC studio as an audience member.
We also collect information about your use of our digital services. The kinds of information we collect about you in this context are described in section 1.2(c) below. Such information may, depending on the circumstances, constitute personal information.
1.2 How we collect personal information
The main circumstances in which the ABC collects personal information about you are:
(a) when you provide it to us
If you register as a user of ABC digital services, by creating an ABC Account, you will provide information to us as part of your registration. You may also give us information when you make a purchase from us such as ABC merchandise, sign up to receive ABC newsletters or enter competitions, contribute user generated content, participate in research or surveys or otherwise participate in ABC functions or activities. For information about our collection and retention of payment information see below.
Payment information
If you use Shopify to complete your transaction, your personal information (including credit card information) will be collected and used by Shopify. For more information, you can read the Shopify Privacy Policy here.
If you use your credit card and the transaction is manual rather than electronic, the imprinted record will be stored by us for the period that financial records are required to be retained.
(b) when someone else provides it to us on your behalf
Sometimes someone else such as a parent, carer or friend might provide us with information about you so that we can provide you with products or services. For example, someone else may provide us with information about you when creating a profile for you on ABC iview.
In some circumstances, we may also collect information about you from our ABC online store fulfilment partners. Other times we may collect personal information about you from publicly available sources, including social media sites, or when you sign up for an ABC Account via another account.
For more information about our practices in relation to children, see below.
Additional information for parents and young people
The digital services provided by the ABC allow access by children and some are specifically designed for children; ABC KIDS for pre-school children and ABC ME for older children are examples. When a profile is created for a child on ABC iview, the ABC will make available content that is suitable for their age group. We strongly encourage parents and carers to monitor and participate in their children’s use of the ABC’s digital services.
The ABC aims to ensure that children and young people who engage with our online spaces understand the possible risks they face and how to minimise them. ABC digital services designed for children are subject to House Rules which guide participation and are designed to maintain safe and appropriate behaviour. House Rules include restrictions on the types of personal information the ABC allows children to communicate publicly. Content submitted to ABC children’s sites is largely pre-moderated in order to enforce the House Rules and protect children.
If your child is participating in ABC online community activities, we recommend you read the House Rules for that space with your child and explain anything to them that they may not understand.
The ABC policy in relation to cookies, beacons, local storage, device identifiers and other technologies applies to all ABC properties, however marketing cookies and the use of device identifiers for marketing purposes are disabled in child ABC accounts and child profiles under adult ABC accounts, and the ABC Kids and ABC Me website and app.
Children are also automatically opted out of the disclosure of a hashed version of their email address for the purpose of promotional targeting.
Parents and carers should be aware that if their children are using social media sites that were not designed for their age group, they will be exposed to the various tracking and analytic technologies applied by third parties when they access or share ABC content on or via those sites.
(c) when we collect it in relation to your use of digital services
We also collect information about your use of our digital services through the use of technologies like cookies, beacons, device identifiers and local storage.
When you use our websites, mobile sites, mobile applications, email newsletters or applications on any other devices such as Apple TV, Chromecast or PlayStation, these technologies may be used to improve your user experience and our digital services. If you opt-in to the use of marketing cookies, or the use of device identifiers for marketing purposes, they may also be used to show you promotions for ABC content on third party digital services, such as Google and Facebook.
If you are a registered ABC Account holder, we may link the information collected about you to your account, and your newsletter subscription. If a profile is created under your account on ABC iview, we may link the information about the profile to your account.
If you are not a registered ABC Account holder, and you do not have a profile on ABC iview, then we will track this information by reference to digital information such as an IP address, or an identifier for your device or browser, and will not seek to identify you.
If we do not collect information about you or your use of our digital services, we may not be able to provide you with certain digital services, or we may not be able to tailor or enhance your reading, viewing or listening experience.
Use of cookies, beacons, local storage, device identifiers and other technologies across our digital services
What are these technologies?
“Cookies” and “local storage” are technologies that allow websites, applications and emails to gather information and store it on your computer or device. A device identifier is a string of letters that uniquely identifies your device to apps on the device. This information is used to identify your browser or device so that these websites and applications can follow your user activity over time and remember things such as your personalised settings and preferences.
A “beacon” is a signal sent from your computer or device to a server on the Internet. Websites, applications and emails use software that reads cookies, local storage and other information stored on your computer or device and sends beacons to record that information. This may include information about your user activity, including behavioural data such as your viewing history and location data such as your IP address, as well as information about your personalised settings and preferences.
Why do we use these technologies?
The ABC uses these technologies in a variety of ways to deliver, measure and improve our services and products. These uses generally fall into one of the following categories:
- Strictly Necessary: The ABC requires these to deliver features in our digital products such as remembering users who have logged in.
- Performance: Allows the ABC to understand how users interact with our digital products, the quality of their experience, and report on usage.
- Marketing: Allows the ABC to deliver promotions for ABC content on external platforms such as Facebook and Google Ads to users based on their choices on ABC platforms. For example, to let users know when a new episode of a show they have watched is available.
Cookies, beacons, local storage, device identifiers and other technologies used by third parties
The ABC allows a number of its suppliers to use cookies, beacons, local storage and other technologies on ABC digital services to gather information about visitor activity in order to deliver their services.
These third parties may include:
a) marketing and promotions service providers including social media platforms, such as Facebook, and digital advertising services, such as Google Ads;
b) analytics service providers, such as Google Analytics (more information here) and Chartbeat; and
c) ratings service providers such as Nielsen, which measures digital audiences in Australia (more information here), and OzTAM, which measures broadcast video on demand and live streaming audiences in Australia.
If an individual opts-in to marketing cookies, the ABC may allow Facebook and Google to place a cookie or other technology on browsers visiting an ABC platform, to enable promotions for ABC content to be served on Facebook and Google platforms that take into account past viewing choices on ABC platforms.
Facebook may use the information it receives to personalise the features and content it shows people on and off Facebook platforms. Google will comply with the Google Privacy Policy available at: Privacy Policy – Privacy & Terms – Google. The ABC only enables the use of this technology if the individual has opted-in to the use of marketing cookies. See Controlling and Deleting Cookies section for more information.
If an individual opts-in to marketing cookies, the ABC may also use the Google Analytics Advertising Feature, where a cookie or other technology used by Google Analytics, is matched with a cookie or other technology used by Google Ads, for the purpose of serving targeted advertising. This technology is only used if the individual opts-in to the use of marketing cookies.
In addition, if the ABC embeds posts, photos or videos from third parties, such as Facebook and YouTube, those third parties may use cookies, beacons, local storage and other technologies in relation to that content. If you then “share” that content, the service you have chosen to share content through may also use these technologies.
Controlling and deleting cookies
Marketing cookies enabling Facebook and Google marketing services are optional. They are only enabled if you choose to opt-in to their use.
If you do not opt-in to marketing cookies, you may still see ABC promotions when you are visiting Facebook or Google platforms, but those promotions will have been selected without considering your past viewing choices by way of marketing cookies.
Strictly necessary and performance cookies and other technologies are used by the ABC to provide and improve its services. These cookies and other technologies are integral to the ABC online experience. If you wish to access ABC content without the use of cookies and other technologies you can use our broadcast services.
Popular browsers will also usually give users a level of control over cookies, so that you can set your browser to accept or reject all, or certain, cookies. You may also be able to set your browser to prompt you each time a cookie is offered.
You can set your browsers to accept or reject all, or certain, cookies. You can also set your browser to prompt you each time a cookie is offered.
Most cookies are easy to delete, and the ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how. Some digital services may not load properly or function as intended if cookies are disabled, however it is up to you to determine the balance of convenience and computer privacy that you are comfortable with.
Some browsers offer a ‘Do Not Track’ (DNT) setting, which sends an additional piece of information when a cookie is downloaded that the user does not wish to be tracked. However, the ABC’s digital services do not recognise DNT settings.
The ABC uses beacons in combination with cookies to track activity. If you turn off a browser’s cookies, the beacon will still record your visit anonymously, however your unique information will not be recorded. If you turn off cookies then we may not be able to personalise or customise content for you, which will affect your user experience.
To prevent data from being used by Google Analytics, you can download the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on for websites.
Combined viewer information
If you have registered for an ABC Account, or subscribed to an ABC newsletter, or if a profile is created for you on ABC iview, we may combine information from your registration with the information we collect about your use of our digital services, and other information you provide to us. This is done in order to analyse how you and other people use our digital services in detail and, where you have opted-in to receive such communications, to send you email and other communications that might be of interest to you. This information may also be used to provide personalised services or content recommendations based on your use of our digital services, and to show you promotions for ABC content on third party digital services as well as ABC digital services.
You can opt-out of receiving recommendations and you can also opt-out of promotions on third party platforms that are linked to your ABC Account in your ABC Account Settings. The combined information referred to above may include information that is collected about your use of our digital services while you are not signed in. Where the combined information can be used to identify you, we may use and disclose it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
2. Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
2.1 Purposes for which we collect, use, and disclose personal information
The purposes for which we collect, use and disclose personal information include:
- to provide our products and services to you (including physical delivery);
- to enhance our content and services using your contributions;
- to help us understand more about our audiences;
- to improve our products and services, including conducting surveys and performing research and analysis;
- to serve our audiences with personalised and relevant content;
- to manage our relationship with you, including:
(a) communicating with you, including providing information about activities, products, services and events which we consider may be of interest to you (this includes promotions for ABC content on third party digital services and on ABC digital services);
(b) billing you for any products or services that we charge for;
(c) investigating any complaints made by or about you;
(d) managing any request by you to return or exchange a product at a later date; and
(e) otherwise offering you assistance, including, by providing technical support;
- to moderate user content on social media sites;
- to conduct events, competitions or promotions on behalf of the ABC or industry third parties we have entered into agreements with;
- for statistical and research purposes;
- to obtain professional services as required including legal, accounting or insurance services;
- if permitted or required by law;
- otherwise with your consent; or
- for purposes directly related to any one or more of the above.
We will not send you unsolicited direct marketing emails, without your prior consent, unless we are permitted to do so by law. We will always give you the option to opt out of further communications. We may send you electronic communications for account administration purposes for so long as you are an ABC Account holder or customer of the ABC.
2.2 Disclosure of personal information
We may disclose your personal information that we collect to our:
- technology service providers, including, internet service providers, app service providers, cloud hosting service providers, software suppliers, and maintenance and support service providers and security services on a confidential basis so that they can provide services to us;
- ABC online store fulfilment partners and delivery service providers;
- marketing and promotions service providers; and
- analytics service providers.
As described above in the section on “Cookies, beacons, device identifiers and other technologies used by third parties”, we may also allow some of our analytics and ratings service providers to collect information about your use of ABC digital services along with identifiers for your device or browser. If you have opted into the use of device identifiers for marketing purposes, we may share your device identifier with Facebook and Google for marketing purposes. If you have opted-in to the use of marketing cookies we may allow Facebook and Google to collect information about your use of ABC digital services along with identifiers for your browser for marketing purposes.
Some third parties may be able to match information about your use of our digital services with personal information they already have about you.
From November 2021, if you are a registered ABC Account holder, we may disclose a hashed version of your email address to Google and Facebook, via a technology service provider called Tealium, to show you promotions for ABC content likely to be of interest to you on those platforms.
You will be able to opt out of the disclosure of a hashed version of your email address to those Google and Facebook in your ABC Account settings. If your ABC Account is associated with the use of an ABC app on Apple’s iOS or tvOS software, we will not disclose a hashed version of your email address to Google and Facebook, and therefore the opt out function will not be available to you.
If you are not a registered ABC Account holder, or you are accessing an ABC digital platform while not logged into your ABC Account, we may disclose the identifier for your device or browser to Google and Facebook, via Tealium, for the same purpose, but only if you have opted in for the purpose of marketing.
If you don’t want to see promotional information on Facebook and Google platforms that is informed by your use of ABC digital services, as well as accessing the ABC’s privacy controls, you can also access the privacy controls via the account settings on those platforms. You can also visit Your Online Choices and do a blanket opt out for the organisations who signed up to Your Online Choices.
The third parties we disclose information to, or allow to collect information about you, may be located in Australia or outside Australia, including but not limited to New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, Israel, India, Canada and the USA.
We require that our service providers have appropriate controls to protect your personal information and that they only use your personal information for authorised purposes. The ABC will not sell or receive payment for licensing or disclosing your personal information.
The ABC may include links to third party content on its website and in other electronic communications. You may choose to access those links. The ABC does not have any control over the privacy practices of those third parties. Please check the website of each relevant third party for details of their privacy policies. The ABC does not control who links to the ABC’s site.
2.3 Options to enter into additional privacy terms
We will sometimes give you an option to use products or services which are provided in conjunction with other entities such as social media platforms. If we do this, you should be given privacy information before being asked to consent to the terms and conditions of that service. You should read the privacy policy and terms and conditions of each service very carefully before deciding whether to accept them. For example, the triple j app offers a function that accesses YouTube API services. The YouTube Terms of Service are available here. You should also be careful to ensure that you only post information online if you are happy for it to be and to remain publicly available.
3. Seeking access to, and updating, information we hold about you
You have the right to request access to personal information that is held by the ABC about you. Requests for access will be dealt with by the ABC in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) or Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
You also have the right to request the correction of any of your personal information that the ABC holds. The ABC will take reasonable steps to make appropriate corrections to personal information so that it is accurate, complete and up-to-date. To seek access to, or correction of, or to make a request for the deletion of your personal information please contact the ABC Privacy Officer, whose details are below. Deletion requests are subject to the ABC’s record-keeping obligations, including the Archives Act 1983 (Cth).
4. Making a complaint
The ABC welcomes feedback about privacy issues and will attend to all questions and complaints promptly. Please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below if you would like to make a complaint. If the ABC takes more than 30 days to respond to your privacy complaint, or if you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you can make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The OAIC can be contacted on 1300 363 992 or at www.oaic.gov.au.
5. Privacy Officer contact details
If you wish to contact our privacy officer, please use the following contact details:
By email
By mail
ABC Privacy Officer
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
GPO Box 9994
Your State or Territory
Related Documents
This policy should be read in conjunction with the following related documents:
Questions?
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the ABC Privacy Officer, privacy.abc@abc.net.au
April 2022