Privacy Policy

1. The following Privacy Policy outlines our management of personal information we hold about you. It extends to the practice, procedure and systems that we follow when dealing with your personal information. This Privacy Policy is written in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (the APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act)
2. Any reference to ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’, ‘the website’ or ‘Corals of the World’ is a reference to www.coralsoftheworld.org and its authors, developers and administrative staff.
3. Any reference to ‘you’ is a reference to you, the user of the website.
4. Corals of the World is a website developed with the principal goal of providing an integrated, open access resource for coral taxonomy, identification, distribution and biology with tools designed to enhance management and conservation of corals and coral reefs.

1. Personal information. The kinds of personal information collected and held by the website extend to the following:
   1. your name;
   2. your email address; and
   3. any other information you choose to disclose to us.
2. Collection of Personal information. We do not collect personal information from or about you unless you specifically disclose it to us. You might disclose personal information to us by emailing us or through the various forms on the website, including, but not limited to:
   1. by registering a user profile; or
   2. using our Feedback page
3. Purpose of Collecting Personal Information.

   Any personal information that we collect from you is for the purpose of your access to the website, its functions and features, and the continual maintenance and improvement of the website and its content (the authorised purpose).

   We do not require your personal information for any purpose other than allowing you to access and identify your user profile and providing occasional updates to you by email.

4. Use of Personal information. We hold your personal information to be used in accordance with the authorised purpose as follows:
   1. allowing you to create and use a personal user profile. Your user profile allows you to save specific content relevant to you (as well as further user functionality which may be added in the future).
   2. emailing you from time to time with details of improvements to the website’s functions and content;
   3. emailing you from time to time if with information relevant to the website’s content which may be of interest to you; and
   4. emailing you from time to time if there are updates to this Privacy Policy or our Terms of Use.
   If you wish to opt out of these services, please contact us using our contact information provided at clause 4.B.
5. Anonymity or Pseudonymity

   If you would prefer to remain anonymous when using the website, you can opt not to register a user profile.

   If you would like to register a user profile, but would prefer to remain personally unidentified, you may choose to use a pseudonym to register your user profile.

6. Accessing and Correcting Personal Information. If we hold personal information about you, you have the right to request:
   1. access to your personal information;
   2. correction of your personal information if necessary.

   If you wish to access or correct your personal information, please contact us using our contact information provided at clause 4.B.

   If you wish to access or correct your personal information, we may take steps to properly identify you, including by requesting your identification.

7. Data Quality. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we have collected and stored about you is:
   1. accurate and up-to-date; and
   2. stored in a uniform, consistent manner.

8. Security. Corals of the World will take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure and alteration.

   We will do this by:

   1. ensuring all personal information is secured on password protected devices;
   2. allowing only authorised personnel to access your personal information for the authorised purpose;
   3. taking reasonable steps to protect against cyber threats and malware, including the use of anti-virus software and data encryption, where appropriate.

   If, for any reason, Corals of the World ceases to operate or your personal information is not required for any reason, we will take reasonable steps within our control to delete, destroy or de-identify your personal information.

9. Cookies. Corals of the World uses ‘cookies’, which are small files of information that are stored in your web browser. We use cookies for:
   1. storing your Session ID (ensuring that your user profile remains ‘logged in’ while navigating through pages of the website); and
   2. for ensuring data from outside of the website cannot be submitted to the website via form submits.

   Most popular internet browsers (FireFox, Google Chrome, etc) will usually provide users with some control over cookies. You may accept or reject all cookies, or accept or reject certain cookies. You may also be able to set your web browser to prompt you every time a cookie is offered.

   Website content may not work correctly or as intended if you reject the use of cookies. It is for you to decide the balance of convenience and the internet privacy you are comfortable with.

   For more information about cookies, please see http://www.allaboutcookies.org/

10. Links to Other Websites and Embedded Content

    Where Corals of the World provides a link to an external website, the external website will or should be governed by its own privacy policy in accordance with the Privacy Act or with the laws of the website’s local jurisdiction.

    Where Corals of the World embeds content from a third party website, for instance www.vimeo.com, the third party website may use cookies and other information.

    We aim to only supply links only to reputable websites, however, we cannot guarantee that any site linked or embedded on our website will comply with the terms of this Privacy Policy, the APPs or any relevant local laws.

11. Disclosure to Overseas Recipients

    Corals of the World is very unlikely to disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient unless your specific permission is sought.

    For instance, if you submit a photograph through our Feedback form, Corals of the World may seek your permission to publish the photograph on the website with the appropriate citation or credit attributed to you. In such a case, your personal information may therefore be disclosed to an overseas recipient.

If you decide to make a donation to Corals of the World, there is a link on our website which enables you do to so. The link directs you to a PayPal donation form. Any donation made through the PayPal form is received by Ocean Ark Alliance and is in turn distributed to us.

PayPal and Ocean Ark Alliance are third party websites and this Privacy Policy does not extend to third-party or external websites. Although we take all reasonable steps to ensure we partner with trustworthy and reliable websites, the operators of PayPal and Ocean Ark Alliance may collect personal information from you if you access their website or if you make a donation to us.

Corals of the World does not have control over how your personal information is handled by PayPal, Ocean Ark Alliance, or any other third-party or external link that may be provided on our website.

We strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with the privacy policies of these websites before choosing to access their websites or use their services.

1. Complaints
If you wish to make a complaint about our privacy practices, the procedure is as follows:
1. prepare a written complaint (including details on how to contact you to resolve the complaint) and email it to us at the details provided at clause 4.B;
2. we will respond to say that your complaint has been received within thirty (30) days of receipt;
3. we will provide a response to your complaint within a reasonable period after the complaint is received by us;
4. if you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint or your complaint has not been responded to within a reasonable period, you can make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

   Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
   GPO Box 5218
   SYDNEY NSW 2001
   Telephone: 1300 363 992
   Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

2. Contact information for Corals of the World

   If you wish to contact us for any reason, including to make a complaint or to request access or amendment of your personal information, you can reach us through the email address below:

   Email: contact@coralsoftheworld.org