Silent Auctions Privacy Policy

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information:

• is collected and handled lawfully, fairly and transparently
• is collected only where reasonably necessary for the operation of our services or for another purpose permitted by law
• is used only for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless another use is authorised or required by law
• is kept reasonably accurate, complete and up to date
• is protected from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure
• is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is held, subject to legal, accounting, security and record keeping requirements

The information we collect depends on how you use Silent Auctions.

2.1 Bidder, purchaser and donor information

When you register for or participate in a Campaign, we may collect:

• your first name and last name
• your mobile phone number
• your email address
• your postal address where required
• your account and login information
• the Campaigns in which you participate
• bids you place
• purchases you make
• donations or pledges you make
• transaction records
• payment status
• auction item information associated with your bids or purchases
• communications you send through or about the Platform
• information reasonably required to assist with support, refunds, payment disputes, collection or fulfilment

2.2 Organisation and Campaign information

If you create, manage or administer a Campaign on behalf of an organisation, we may collect and store:

• organisation name
• ABN or other organisation details where provided
• organisation address
• contact details
• authorised user details
• Campaign details
• Event details where applicable
• fundraising goals
• auction item descriptions
• stated or estimated values
• reserve prices
• images and other Campaign materials
• bidder and donor records associated with the Campaign
• transaction records
• Stripe account connection information
• invoices and billing records
• communications with Silent Auctions

2.3 Payment information

Payments made through Silent Auctions are processed using Stripe.

Payment card information is collected and processed by Stripe in accordance with Stripe's own privacy and security practices.

Silent Auctions does not store complete payment card numbers or card security codes.

We may receive or have access to limited payment information made available by Stripe that is necessary to operate the Platform, reconcile transactions, provide support and manage disputes. This may include transaction identifiers, payment status, card type, limited card details such as the last four digits, refund status, dispute status and payout information.

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you create an account, register for a Campaign, place a bid, make a payment, make a donation or contact us
• from an organisation that creates or manages a Campaign through Silent Auctions
• from authorised users of an organisation account
• automatically through the operation of the Platform where information is required to provide the service
• from Stripe and other service providers where necessary to process payments or operate the Platform
• from third parties where you have authorised the disclosure or where collection is otherwise permitted by law

Silent Auctions may use cookies and similar technologies that are reasonably necessary to operate the Platform.

These may be used to:

• keep users signed in
• maintain account sessions
• remember essential settings
• protect account and Platform security
• support payment processing
• prevent fraud and misuse
• maintain the technical operation of the Platform

Stripe may also use cookies or similar technologies as part of its payment services.

Silent Auctions does not use Google Analytics as part of the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

We do not use cookies to build advertising profiles about users.

We collect, hold and use personal information where reasonably necessary to:

• create and manage user accounts
• allow organisations to create and operate Campaigns
• allow bidders, purchasers and donors to participate in Campaigns
• record bids, purchases, donations and pledges
• process and reconcile transactions
• calculate and administer applicable Platform Fees and payment related fees
• provide Campaign organisers with the information reasonably required to operate their Campaigns
• enable organisers to contact successful bidders or purchasers
• assist with collection, delivery or fulfilment where relevant
• provide customer and technical support
• investigate technical problems, fraud, misuse or security incidents
• maintain business, accounting, invoicing and transaction records
• comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• establish, exercise or defend legal rights
• respond to privacy requests and complaints

We do not sell or rent identifiable user information or identifiable organisation information.

We do not use identifiable user information or identifiable organisation information for advertising or marketing.

We may create and use general statistics about use of the Silent Auctions Platform.

These statistics may include information such as:

• the number of Campaigns hosted
• the number of bids placed
• the number or value of transactions
• total amounts raised
• the number of registered users
• overall Platform usage volumes
• general fundraising performance

These statistics must be aggregated or otherwise prepared so that they do not reasonably identify an individual user or organisation.

We may use or publish these general statistics for service operation, performance reporting, product improvement, business planning and public reporting.

We do not sell, market or disclose identifiable user information or identifiable organisation information as part of these statistics.

Silent Auctions provides a technology platform that allows organisations to run Campaigns.

When you register for or participate in a Campaign, information about your participation may be disclosed to the organisation that operates that Campaign.

This may include:

• your name
• your contact details
• your bids
• your successful purchases
• your donations or pledges
• payment and transaction status
• information required for collection, delivery or fulfilment
• information reasonably required to resolve a payment, bid or Campaign issue

The Campaign organiser may need this information to administer its Campaign and meet its obligations to bidders, purchasers and donors.

The organiser is responsible for how it handles personal information after receiving it from Silent Auctions and may have its own privacy policy or legal obligations.

Silent Auctions is not responsible for an organiser's independent use of personal information outside the Silent Auctions Platform, except to the extent required by law.

Silent Auctions is the Platform provider and is not the seller or provider of auction items unless expressly stated otherwise.

Disputes about an auction item, including its description, valuation, estimated value, retail value, authenticity, provenance, condition, ownership, quality, availability, collection, delivery or fulfilment, are matters between the Campaign organiser and the bidder or purchaser.

Where reasonably necessary, Silent Auctions may provide relevant account, bid, transaction or payment records to the Campaign organiser, bidder, purchaser, Stripe or another relevant service provider to assist with resolving a dispute.

Providing this information does not make Silent Auctions responsible for the auction item, the accuracy of its valuation or description, or the outcome of the dispute.

Privacy complaints about Silent Auctions' own handling of personal information remain the responsibility of Silent Auctions and may be made in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to provide or protect the service.

This may include disclosure to:

• the organisation operating a Campaign in which you participate
• Stripe and other payment service providers
• cloud hosting and data storage providers
• information technology service providers
• email or communications service providers used to deliver operational messages
• security, fraud prevention and technical support providers
• accountants, lawyers, insurers and other professional advisers
• debt collection providers where money is lawfully owed
• courts, tribunals, regulators, government agencies and law enforcement authorities where required or authorised by law
• a purchaser, successor or adviser in connection with a genuine proposed or completed sale, restructure or transfer of all or part of our business or assets

We do not disclose identifiable personal information to third parties for their own advertising or marketing purposes.

Some of the service providers used to operate Silent Auctions may store or process information outside Australia.

The location of data may depend on the infrastructure and services used by those providers from time to time.

Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we will take reasonable steps required by applicable Australian privacy law in relation to that disclosure.

Where practicable, further information about relevant overseas locations or service providers may be made available on request.

We may use your contact details to send communications that are reasonably necessary to provide the service.

These may include:

• registration confirmations
• login and security messages
• bid notifications
• successful bid or purchase notices
• payment confirmations
• Campaign information
• collection or fulfilment information
• account notices
• support messages
• important changes to the Platform, Terms or Privacy Policy

These communications are service communications and are not based on selling or marketing your personal information.

You may request access to personal information that we hold about you.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access.

We will respond to access requests within the period required by applicable law and will provide access unless a lawful exception applies.

If we refuse access, where required by law we will provide reasons for the refusal and information about available complaint mechanisms.

You may ask us to correct personal information that you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We will take reasonable steps to correct information where required by applicable law.

You may also be able to update certain account information directly through the Platform.

You may ask us to delete personal information that we hold about you.

We will consider deletion requests having regard to our legal obligations and legitimate operational requirements.

We may retain information where reasonably necessary for:

• financial and tax records
• transaction records
• fraud prevention
• security records
• legal claims and disputes
• regulatory obligations
• system backups
• enforcing our Terms
• other purposes permitted or required by law

Campaigns may be hidden from public access two years after closing and may be deleted one year after that.

User information associated with a Campaign may also be deleted at or after the three year point where the user is not associated with another active or retained Campaign and there is no legal or operational reason to retain the information.

Invoices and financial records may be retained for seven years or for another period required by law.

Deletion from active systems may not immediately remove information from secure backups. Backup copies may remain until they are overwritten or deleted through ordinary backup retention processes.

We take reasonable technical, organisational and administrative measures to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

These measures may include:

• access controls
• authentication controls
• secure hosting
• encrypted communications where appropriate
• restricted administrative access
• system monitoring
• backups
• security updates
• internal procedures for responding to suspected security incidents

No internet based service can guarantee absolute security.

You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for notifying us if you believe your account has been accessed without authorisation.

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will assess and respond to the incident in accordance with applicable law.

Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme or another applicable legal requirement requires notification, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant regulator as required.

The Platform may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.

We do not control those third party websites and this Privacy Policy does not govern their privacy practices.

You should review the privacy policies of third party services before providing personal information to them.

If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, you may make a privacy complaint to us.

Please provide enough information for us to understand and investigate your complaint.

We will investigate the complaint and respond within a reasonable period.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or another applicable regulator.

For privacy enquiries, access requests, correction requests, deletion requests or privacy complaints, please contact the Silent Auctions Privacy Officer at support@silentauctions.app.

We may request information necessary to verify your identity before acting on a request involving personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, legal obligations or information handling practices.

The current version will be published on the Silent Auctions website.

Where a change materially affects how we handle personal information, we may provide additional notice where appropriate.