Privacy policy

Last modified 27 March 2019

Foreground is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy applies to the Foreground website, its newsletter and associated events.

This Privacy Policy governs our data collection, processing and usage practices. It also describes your choices regarding use, access and correction of your personal data.

We use your personal data for a host of reasons, from understanding how our users engage with Foreground to informing our marketing and advertising. This allows us to improve our users’ experience of Foreground and helps to ensure that Foreground is commercially sustainable.

These are the main reasons why we collect and use data about our users:

  • To show you articles and information that is relevant to you and to improve your experience with our services
  • To provide the services you sign up for, such as e-news subscriptions and events
  • To carry out marketing analysis and send you communications when we have your permission, or when permitted by law
  • To enable us to show advertising on our sites.

If you do not agree with the data practices described in this Privacy Policy, you should not use Foreground’s website, newsletter or events services.

We periodically update this Privacy Policy. If the changes are significant, we will send you an email notification. All other changes to the Privacy Policy will be listed on this page. We encourage you to review the Privacy Policy periodically.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please write to us by email at team@foreground.com.au.

What personal data we collect

We collect personal data when you sign up for our services and when you browse our site. This information is used to provide our services, display advertising and understand how visitors use our site.

Personal data can include any information that you voluntarily submit to us, through Foreground or other means, and that identifies you personally, including contact information, such as your name, e-mail address, company name, address, phone number, and other information about yourself or your business. Personal Information can also include information about any transactions that you enter into on our website or its affiliated websites and services, and information about you that is available on the internet, such as from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google, or publicly available information that we acquire from service providers or websites.

When you use our site we may also use cookies or similar technology to collect extra data, including:

  • your IP address – a code that identifies your device that can provide information about the country, region or city where you are based;
  • your browsing history, including information on how you were referred to our sites via another website; and
  • details of your devices, such as the unique device ID, advertising ID and browsers used to access our content and services

Personal data might also include payment information where such information can directly or indirectly identify an individual.

We may also receive information about you from third party sources, such as partners with which we offer co-branded services or engage in joint marketing activities.

Children’s personal data

Foreground’s services are not intended for or targeted at children under 16, and we do not knowingly or intentionally collect information about children under 16. Please contact us at team@foreground.com.au if you believe we have collected information about a child under 16, so that we may delete the information.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data when you:

  • attend our events;
  • enter our competitions and surveys;
  • sign up to our e-newsletter;
  • use mobile devices to access our content;
  • access our sites, through cookies and other similar technology; and

when you contact us via email, social media, our apps or similar technologies or when you mention us on social media or use our website’s social media elements, such as the Facebook and Twitter follow and share buttons. Your interactions with these elements are governed by the privacy policy and other policies of the companies providing them. This Privacy Policy does not apply to these elements.

How we use the data we collect

We use the information we collect only in compliance with this Privacy Policy. We will never sell your personal data or information to any third party.

In addition to the uses identified elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, we may use your personal information to:

  • improve your browsing experience by personalizing the website;
  • promote our services to you and share promotional and information content with you;
  • provide other companies with de-identified statistical information about our users;
  • send information to you regarding changes to our Privacy Policy or other legal agreements
  • meet legal requirements.

Legal basis for using your personal data

We will only use your personal data where we have a legal ground to do so. We determine the legal grounds based on the purposes for which we have collected and used your personal data. In every case, the legal ground will be one of the following:

  • Consent: For example, where you have provided your consent to receive marketing emails from us. You can withdraw your consent at any time. In the case of marketing emails you can withdraw your consent by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email.
  • Our legitimate interests: Where it is necessary for us to understand our readers, promote our services and operate our sites and apps efficiently for the creation, publication and distribution of news, media and related journalistic content. It is also in our legitimate interest to carry out marketing analysis to determine what products and services may be relevant to the interests of our readers, or to carry out a contract with you.
  • Compliance with law: In some cases, we may have a legal obligation to use or keep your personal data.
    If we ask you to provide personal data to comply with a legal requirement or to perform a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise whether the provision of information is mandatory.

Security of your personal data

We protect your personal data from unauthorised access through a variety of security technologies and procedures. Any data you provide to us is stored in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure.

Retention of personal information

How long we keep the data we collect about you depends on the type of data and the service it relates to.

We retain data that you provide to us where we have an ongoing legitimate business need to do so. For example, as long as is required in order to contact you about our website, newsletter or events, or as needed to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

If we no longer need your data for legitimate business, we will delete it or make it anonymous by removing all details that identify you. However, when you unsubscribe from our e-newsletter, we will keep your email address to ensure that we do not send you further e-newsletters.

We retain information derived from cookies and other tracking technologies for a reasonable period of time from the date such information was created.

How we share data

Corporate events

If we (or our assets) are acquired by another company, whether by merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or otherwise, that company would receive all information gathered by Foreground on the website, e-newsletter and events. Should this occur, you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our website, of any change in ownership, uses of your personal data and choices you may have regarding your personal data.

Compelled disclosure

We reserve the right to use or disclose your personal data if required by law or if we reasonably believe that use or disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or comply with a law, court order, or legal process.

Cookies and similar technology

When you visit our site, we may collect personal data from you automatically using cookies or similar technology. A cookie is a small file that can be placed on your device that allows us to recognise and remember you.

Online advertising

We may use personalised online advertising on our site. This allows us to deliver more relevant advertising to people who visit Foreground. It works by showing you adverts that are based on your browsing patterns.

When you browse our site, some of the cookies and similar technology we may place on your device may be advertising cookies, so we can understand what sort of pages you are interested in. We can then display advertising on your browser based on these interests.

We do not collect or use information such as your name, email address, postal address or phone number for personalised online advertising.

We may also share online data collected through cookies and similar technology with our advertising partners. This means that when you are on another website, you may be shown advertising based on your browsing patterns on Foreground. We may also show you advertising on Foreground based on your browsing patterns on other sites that we have obtained from our advertising partners.

Online retargeting is another form of online advertising that allows us and some of our advertising partners to show you advertising based on your browsing patterns and interactions with a site away from our sites.

Advertising that we place on our site or on other sites

We may also use personalised online advertising to promote our own products and services. This means that you may see advertising for our products and services on our site and when you are on other, third party websites, including social media platforms.

Your personal data rights

You have the following data protection rights:

  • You can request access, correction, updates or deletion of your personal data
  • You can object to processing of your personal data, ask us to restrict processing of your personal data or request portability of your personal data
  • You can withdraw your consent for the collection and processing of your personal data. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your personal data conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent
  • You have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal data.

Please contact us at  team@foreground.com.au with the subject line ‘personal data request’ should you wish to exercise any of these rights. We will respond to your request to change, correct, or delete your information within a reasonable timeframe and notify you of the action we have taken.

To unsubscribe from our communications

You may unsubscribe from our e-newsletter by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link located on the bottom of the e-newsletter.

Contact

team@foreground.com.au