Scope

This statement applies to user interactions with the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) and the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (the department), which administers the RTIRC website.

General

The RTIRC site makes some use of data that directly or indirectly identifies users. We take great care with practices that affect personal privacy. The secretariat staff welcomes feedback from users in relation to the site’s design and practices, and to this privacy statement. Please submit any questions about these or on any other matters to secretariat@rtirc.gov.au

Automated data collection

Data that in some way identifies the user is gathered during interactions with the RTIRC website in the following circumstances:

• Computer information

  It is a necessary part of visiting any website, including the RTIRC site, that the user’s web browser provides the machine’s identity (its IP address) to the site’s web server, so that the server can address the reply to the correct machine. In addition, the browser supplies details of its type and the underlying operating system.

• Navigation and click-stream data

  Browsing any website, including the RTIRC site, generates a trail of the pages that are visited, and the time apparently spent displaying each page.

• Data storage, use and disclosure, and retention

  All personal data described in the preceding section is stored in transmission logs, and archived for a period of at least 12 months but quite probably for up to seven years.

The data is used by site software, and by staff involved in its operation, only for:

• website and system administration, including monitoring to prevent security breaches
• customisation of the website to the user’s needs
• evaluation, research and development.

A user can only seek access to identified data if that user provides the unique request session number. Identified data may be disclosed to a third party only in circumstances in which it is legally authorised, such as in the investigation of a criminal offence, and in compliance with a search warrant or subpoena.

Online forums

From time to time, the RTIRC may provide an online forum via this site. In such circumstances, it is common practice for online forums to require a contributing user to provide details such as a screen name and an email address prior to posting a comment. Any email address acquired by the RTIRC secretariat or the department in this context is only for the purpose of contacting the contributor when the posted comment does not comply with the specific terms of use of the forum, or if the RTIRC secretariat needs to contact that contributor for any other reason related to the forum. The screen name chosen by a contributor will appear when a comment is posted on the forum; however, that contributor’s email address will not appear.

Links to other sites

This site contains links to, and/or embeds content linked from other sites. The RTIRC and the department are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of or material from other sites. You should consult the linked site(s) for further information about the respective privacy practices and/or the terms of use.

Site feedback

If you have any comments on the technical operations or functionality of the RTIRC web pages, please send an email to secretariat@rtirc.gov.au The RTIRC secretariat will not disclose this feedback to any third party, other than as required by law.