Privacy Policy - Collaborate Collective

1. Introduction

At Collaborate Collective (“we”, “our”, or “us”), accessible via collaboratecollective.com.au, we are committed to safeguarding the privacy and personal information of our users and clients. This Privacy Policy outlines how we handle, process, and protect your personal data in compliance with applicable data protection and privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Our aim is to handle your data with transparency, fairness, and respect while delivering the services you engage with on our platform.

2. Scope of This Policy and Data Controller Role

This Privacy Policy applies to all individuals who interact with our services, including users of our website, customers, and contacts. Collaborate Collective is the data controller responsible for determining the purposes and means of the processing of your personal data collected through collaboratecollective.com.au. If you have any questions regarding this policy or your data, please contact us at [email protected].

3. Categories of Personal Data We Process

We collect and process various categories of personal information necessary to deliver, personalize, and improve our services. These include:

a. Usage Data
Information such as your internet protocol (IP) address, browser type, pages visited, time and date of visit, time spent on pages, referral URLs, and session duration.

b. Account Data
Details that you provide when registering or interacting with us, including your full name, billing address, shipping address, email address, and contact number.

c. Profile Data
Information such as your preferences, feedback, purchase history, and behavioral data collected through your use of our platform and interaction with our content.

d. Communication Data
Records of correspondence with us, including support requests, customer service interactions, and inquiries submitted via contact forms, email, or chat.

e. Technical Data
Details about your device such as hardware model, operating system, browser settings, screen resolution, and system configurations, collected to ensure optimal website performance.

f. Transaction Data
Data related to purchases, including payment details (processed securely through PCI-compliant processors), order history, delivery status, and transaction identifiers.

g. Preference Data
Information relating to your marketing preferences, product interest, newsletter subscriptions, communication choices, and interaction with promotional materials.

4. Legal Bases for Data Processing

We process your data on one or more of the following legal grounds as permitted by relevant data protection legislation:

– Consent: When you give us explicit permission to process your personal data for specific purposes, such as marketing communications.
– Contractual Necessity: Where processing is required to fulfill a contract with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.
– Legal Obligation: Where we are legally required to retain or disclose your data.
– Legitimate Interests: Where processing is in our legitimate business interests—including but not limited to fraud prevention, service improvement, and customer support—and not overridden by your rights.

5. Your Privacy Rights

In accordance with data protection laws, you are entitled to the following rights in relation to your personal data:

– Right of Access: You may request access to the personal data we hold about you.
– Right to Rectification: You are entitled to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we maintain about you.
– Right to Erasure: You may request the deletion of your data, subject to legal limitations.
– Right to Restrict Processing: You may ask us to limit the use of your data under specific conditions.
– Right to Data Portability: You can request to receive a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
– Right to Object: You may object to the processing of your data for direct marketing or on the basis of our legitimate interests.
– Right to Withdraw Consent: Where data processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

6. Security Measures

We implement robust technical and organizational safeguards to secure your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

– End-to-end encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
– Role-based access control and authentication protocols for internal systems
– Regular security reviews, audits, and updates
– Network and server security monitoring
– Employee training programs on data protection and privacy

7. International Data Transfers

When your personal data is transferred outside of your region (e.g., to the United States or other countries), we ensure adequate protection through the use of:

– Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
– Adequacy decisions recognized by the GDPR
– Appropriate safeguards under CCPA and other applicable laws

Such transfers are only made where necessary to provide our services, process transactions, or manage our operations.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, as well as to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting obligations. General retention periods are as follows:

– Usage Data: up to 26 months for analytics and performance monitoring
– Account Data: retained for the duration of your account or engagement, and up to 7 years following account termination
– Communication Data: retained for 3 years from last contact
– Transaction Data: retained for 7 years in accordance with tax and accounting obligations
– Preference and Consent Records: retained until consent is withdrawn or record is no longer required for compliance

9. Cookie Policy

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on collaboratecollective.com.au. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us understand usage patterns, personalize content, and ensure the website functions properly. The categories of cookies we use include:

– Essential Cookies: Required for core website functionality such as navigation and secure access
– Functional Cookies: Enable personalization features and remember your settings or preferences
– Analytics Cookies: Help us analyze user interactions and improve the performance of our website
– Performance Cookies: Monitor site reliability, load times, and error tracking

10. Cookie Management and Compliance

We comply with GDPR and CCPA provisions for cookie consent. Upon your first visit to our website, you will be presented with a cookie banner enabling you to manage your cookie preferences. You can modify your consent or disable cookies via your browser settings or through the “Cookie Settings” link available on our site. Disabling certain cookies may affect your experience and limit some functionalities.

11. Minors and Children’s Privacy

Our services and website are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from anyone under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently gathered such information, we will take appropriate steps to delete it. Parents or guardians who believe we may have collected data from their child should contact us at [email protected].

12. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at our discretion. Any changes will be posted on this page and, where legally required, we will notify you of updates through communication channels or banner notifications on collaboratecollective.com.au. Your continued use of our services after such updates constitutes acknowledgment of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your privacy rights in relation to this Policy or your personal data, please contact us via:

Email: [email protected]
Website: collaboratecollective.com.au (contact form available on support or legal pages)

We are committed to protecting your privacy, complying with all applicable data protection laws, and resolving any complaints promptly and responsibly. Please reach out to us at any time with your questions or privacy concerns.