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Privacy Policy

This statement sets out the ExplorOz policies relating to the collection and use of your personal information. It applies to your conduct on the ExplorOz web site (the "Site"). These policies are in addition to the ExplorOz general Terms of Use governing the Site and should be read in conjunction with such Terms of Use.
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 Introduction

ExplorOz ("ExplorOz") is a registered business and product of I.T. Beyond Pty Ltd. ("I.T. Beyond") As the operator of Australia's leading 4WD resource, ExplorOz delivers content drawn from I.T. Beyond's research and related resources.

This statement sets out the ExplorOz policies relating to the collection and use of your personal information. It applies to your conduct on the ExplorOz web site (the "Site"). These policies are in addition to the ExplorOz general Terms of Use governing the Site and should be read in conjunction with such Terms of Use.

Please note that separate privacy policies apply to the use of sites that are available through the Site but are not operated by ExplorOz directly ("third party sites"). Before disclosing your personal information to any third party site you should read the relevant policy or terms of use.

 1. Your personal information is important to us

ExplorOz recognises that your privacy is very important to you and that you have a right to control your personal information. We know that providing personal information is an act of trust and we take that seriously. Unless you give us explicit consent to act otherwise, the following policy will govern how ExplorOz handles your personal information and safeguards your privacy. ExplorOz is committed to protecting your personal information and giving you choice in who can use your personal information and how it can be used. We believe that our privacy policy not only complies with relevant laws but represents industry best practice.

 2. ExplorOz Visitor & Membership systems

ExplorOz has implemented a visitor & membership system, designed to offer users a more rewarding and personalised customer experience. To obtain the full benefits of Visitor or Membership, users are required to register with ExplorOz and login as visitors or members each time they visit the Site. However, even if you don't sign up as a Visitor or Member or log onto the Site as a visitor or member, you are still able to access much of the ExplorOz content.

Before you can interact with the site you must be registered as a Visitor. The purpose of the Visitor system is to ensure that we can correctly identify you via your email address and that your email address is in fact valid.

The Membership system provides enhanced viewing facilities and provides interfaces that identify Site changes since your last visit. Also ExplorOz through it's advertising customers ("Advertisers") has a membership reward system. The rewards are provided by the Advertisers and ExplorOz will accept no responsibility for any misrepresentation whatsoever made by the Advertisers on the Site.

You can learn more about enhancing your online experience through Membership by clicking here.

 3. Collecting personal information about you

There are two main ways we collect information about you:

i. If you do not log in as a ExplorOz visitor or member

Whenever you visit our site, our servers automatically record information about your usage of the Site such as the time of the visit, its duration and the pages which you visit. This is intended to help us to understand what parts of our Site our users enjoy the most, and to help us to ensure that any advertising is most directly relevant to your interests. The information we collect about you remains anonymous, and we do not link it to any other personal information.

If you do not want us to retain any information at all, even in an anonymous form, you can use the Preferences on your browser program to remove all cookies and set the browser not to accept cookies in the future. For more information on disabling cookies, click here.

ii. If you log in as a ExplorOz visitor or member

Once you have become a ExplorOz visitor or member, we collect personal information about you in order to provide you with the full benefits of Visitor or Member status. When you first register as a Visitor or Member, we collect information from you directly and also from time to time thereafter if you provide us additional information.

Once you have logged on as a visitor or member, we keep a record of how you use the Site. This helps us to build a profile of what interests you, so that we can personalise your experience of the Site and publish information which is directly relevant to your interests.

Any further collection of your personal information other than that explained above will only occur with consent from you. ExplorOz only collects information from your use of our Site. We do not collect information about you from other organizations or from websites outside the Site that you may visit.

 4. Preserving your privacy

Surveys show that most internet users are concerned about their privacy, want to keep control of their personal information, and do not trust many of the web sites which they visit. In fact, research shows around a third of internet users give false information online rather than saying who they really are.

ExplorOz understands that even with our privacy policy, some people still will not feel comfortable disclosing their personal information in order to become an ExplorOz visitor or member. So if you don't feel comfortable with disclosing your real identity, but you still want to take advantage of the ExplorOz Visitor or Member Systems, then you can register for Visitor or Member Status using a pseudonym (or "nym") - a different name. This way, you choose your own nym, which might be "Mickey Mouse" or "Blinky Bill" and that's what we will call you. We won't know who you really are, but we will still be able to find out what you like most on our Site and therefore give you the most enjoyable and customised experience of the Site possible. This also helps us to match the advertising on our site to the people most likely to be interested in those ads (which help to pay for the cost of operating the Site). However, the Advertisers on the Site are never given information that identifies you as an individual (such as your name or your email address), unless you have given us your express consent to disclose such information.

 5. Our use of cookies and applets

Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to your computer's hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies. However, if you do not wish to receive any cookies you may set your browser to refuse cookies (for more information on disabling cookies, click here. In some instances this may mean you will not be able to take full advantage of parts of the Site. For instance, you may not be able to login as a Visitor or Member.

The use of cookies can enhance your enjoyment of what is offered by ExplorOz, because they can help personalise your experience of our website. They can make it easier for you to shop online and can ensure that information provided to you is most relevant to your interests. Cookies can provide us with aggregated information on how people use our websites, and which advertisements are effective, which helps us to keep improving our Site. We also use cookies to operate the Visitor & Membership systems, as they help us to identify visitors to the site who have previously registered.

Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user's browser. The cookies simply contain a unique identifier which help us to know what our customers find interesting and useful on our website, almost like a continuing questionnaire.

*The use of Javascript and/or Java Applet is dictated by the browser you use. Typically Internet Explorer users with Version 4 or above will use the Javascript method. Netscape users, or users whose browser does not support Javascript 1.1, will use the Java Applet method.

 6. Using and disclosing your personal information

ExplorOz will not use or disclose any information about you without your consent, or access your communications on our websites, unless:
  • Required by law.

  • We believe it necessary to provide you with a service which you have requested.

  • To implement our terms of use.

  • To protect the rights or property of ExplorOz, any ExplorOz user, or any member of the public.

  • To lessen a serious threat to a person's health or safety.
We will not give any of your personal information to Advertisers or any other organisation without your express consent.

 7. "Spam" (promotional email)

We will not send you "spam" (advertising information) without first asking you whether you wish to have promotional information sent to you. If you are receiving promotional information about ExplorOz or its affiliates and do not wish to receive this information any longer, you may remove your name from our list either by visiting the website from which the communication was sent and following the instructions on how to withdraw your information from that site (where that facility is available), or emailing us at Privacy@ExplorOz.com and asking to be removed from our mailing list. Please allow two days for this request to be processed.

 8. Storage and security of your personal information

ExplorOz will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to keep secure any information which we hold about you, and to keep this information accurate and up to date. Your information is stored on secure servers that are protected in controlled facilities.

In addition, our employees and the contractors who provide services related to our information systems are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by ExplorOz. However, ExplorOz will not be held responsible for events arising from unauthorised access to your personal information.

You can also play an important role in keeping your personal information secure, by maintaining the confidentiality of any password and accounts used on the ExplorOz website. Please notify us immediately if there is any unauthorised use of your account by any other Internet user or any other breach of security.

 9. You can access the information we keep about you

As indicated above in section 3, if you do not log on as a ExplorOz visitor or member, we do not collect information which identifies you personally. If, however, you log on as a ExplorOz Visitor or Member, you are able to access, change and update your profile at any time. If you wish to know what other information we hold about you whilst you have been logged onto the Site, please send an email to us at Privacy@ExplorOz.com setting out your Membership ID or Visitor Email. We will endeavour to respond to your request within 24 hours.

 10. ExplorOz and links to other websites

ExplorOz provides links to websites outside of the Site. These linked sites are not under the control of ExplorOz, and we cannot accept responsibility for the conduct of companies linked to our website. Before disclosing your personal information on any other website, we advise you to examine the terms and conditions of using their websites.

 11. What to do if you have a problem or question

If ExplorOz becomes aware of any ongoing concerns or problems with our Site, we will take these issues seriously and work to address these concerns. If you have any further queries relating to our privacy policy, or you have a problem or complaint, please contact us at Privacy@ExplorOz.com

 12. Future changes

Our commitment to make ExplorOz Australia's leading 4WD Web Site means that we are constantly adding new sites and features to the Site. Because of this, from time to time, our policies will be reviewed and may be revised. ExplorOz reserves the right to change its privacy policy at any time and notify you by posting an updated version of the policy on its website.

 13. Further information on privacy

For more information about privacy issues in Australia and protecting your privacy, visit the Australian Federal Privacy Commissioner's website.

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