Effective Date: 2nd October 2024
1. Introduction
Welcome to HearWB. We are committed to providing quality services and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you regarding how we manage your Personal Information. We have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The APPs govern the way in which we collect, use, disclose, store, secure, and dispose of your Personal Information.
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at https://www.oaic.gov.au/.2. Information We Collect
2. What is Personal Information and Why Do We Collect It?
Personal Information is information that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information we collect include names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and information related to hearing aid use and needs.
This Personal Information is obtained in when you enter it into HearWB or when you contact us, including correspondence by telephone, email, via our website, from media and publications, from other publicly available sources, and from third parties. Additionally, personal information may be stored using cookies or similar technologies. Please note that we do not guarantee the privacy practices of third-party services or websites that are linked to or integrated with our app.
We collect your Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing our services to you and improving our product and services. We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure. You may unsubscribe from our mailing/marketing lists at any time by contacting us in writing.
When we collect Personal Information, we will, where appropriate and possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.
3. Sensitive Information
Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act to include information or an opinion about such things as an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record, or health information.
In the event that you share any Sensitive information with us, it will be used by us only:
For the primary purpose for which it was obtained; or
For a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose; or
Where required or authorised by law.
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide and Improve Our Services: To personalize your experience and improve the app’s functionality.
- Research and Publications: To conduct research and publish findings, that contribute to understanding and improving the social and emotional well-being of individuals with hearing loss.
- Product Improvements: To analyse user feedback and improve future iterations of our app.
5. Data Storage and Security
Your Personal Information is stored in a manner that reasonably protects it from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. We use encryption and secure servers to protect your data. When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information. However, most of the Personal Information is or will be stored in client files which will be kept by us for a minimum of 7 years.
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: You can request access to your personal data that we hold.
- Correction: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Deletion: You can request the deletion of your account. Any identifying information will also be deleted, we may retain de-identified data. Once completed, you will no longer have access to your previous data, entries, or account. However, you may create a new account after deletion. To delete your account, please email your request to HearWBsupport@nal.gov.au.
- Withdrawal of Consent: You can withdraw your consent for us to process your Personal Information at any time.
7. Access to Your Personal Information
You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us in writing.
To protect your Personal Information, we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.
8. Maintaining the Quality of Your Personal Information
It is important to us that your Personal Information is up-to-date. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your Personal Information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. If you find that the information we have is not up-to-date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as practicable so we can update our records and continue to provide quality services to you.
9. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to outside parties without your consent, except for the following purposes:
Research Partners: We may share anonymised data with research partners for the purposes of conducting studies and publishing research findings.
Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our app and conducting our business.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Hearing Australia, 16 University Ave, Macquarie Park NSW 2109, Australia
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on our app and updating the effective date at the top of this policy.
By creating an account and using our app, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy.
