Privacy Policy

YOUR PRIVACY

Last updated: 21 November 2023

At Hot Octopus, we are committed to providing quality services to you and protecting your privacy. We use the information we collect about you to maximize the services that we provide to you. We respect the privacy and confidentiality of the information provided by you and adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles. Please read our privacy policy below carefully.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT FROM YOU

Personal information that we collect may include: name, email address, telephone number, addresses, bank or credit card details, financial records, tax file numbers, date of birth, geographic location, IP address, survey responses, support queries, blog comments and social media handles, along with tax file numbers and related information (together ‘Personal Data’). We may collect this information in a variety of ways, including interviews, correspondence, telephone, fax, email, referrals, our website, cookies etc and from third parties.

Our services are not directed to persons under 18 and we do not knowingly collect Personal Data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with Personal Data, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you are the parent or guardian of a child and you believe they have provided us with Personal Data without your consent, then please contact us.

You can review, correct, update or delete your Personal Data by contacting us.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

Personally Identifiable Information: We use the information we collect to deliver our services to you, including: taxation and financial services, communicating with you, providing technical support, sharing useful content, measuring customer satisfaction, diagnosing problems, complying with legal obligations and providing you with a personalised website experience.

Marketing communications are only sent to you if you have requested or subscribed to them. You can opt out of our marketing communications at any time by unsubscribing or emailing us and your request will be actioned immediately.

Non-Personally Identifiable Information: We also use the information we collect in aggregated and anonymized forms to improve our services, including: administering our website, producing reports and analytics, advertising, identifying user demands and assisting in meeting customer needs generally.

Any information you choose to make publicly available, such as blog comments and testimonials, will be available for others to see. If you subsequently remove this information, copies may remain viewable in cached and archived pages on other websites or if others have copied or saved the information.

STORAGE AND SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION

We will use all reasonable means to protect the confidentiality of your Personal Data while in our possession or control. All information we receive from you is stored and protected locally or on secure servers from unauthorized use or access. Credit card information is encrypted before transmission and is not stored by us.

To enable us to deliver our services, we may transfer information that we collect about you, including Personal Data, across borders for storage and processing in countries other than Australia. By submitting your personal data to Hot Octopus, you expressly agree and consent to the disclosure, transfer, storage or processing of your personal information outside of Australia. In providing this consent, you understand and acknowledge that countries outside Australia do not always have the same privacy protection obligations as Australia in relation to personal information.

We retain your personal information for as long as needed to provide services to you and as otherwise necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

In the event there is a breach of our security and your Personal Data is compromised, we will promptly notify you in compliance with the applicable law.

COOKIES AND PIXELS

A cookie is a small file placed in your web browser that collects information about your web browsing behaviour. Use of cookies allows a website to tailor its configuration to your needs and preferences. Cookies do not access information stored on your computer or any Personal Data (e.g. name, address, email address or telephone number). Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but you can choose to reject cookies by changing your browser settings. This may, however, prevent you from taking full advantage of our website.

Our website uses cookies to analyse website traffic, provide social media sharing and liking functionality and help us provide a better website visitor experience. In addition, cookies and pixels may be used to serve relevant ads to website visitors through third party services such as Google Adwords and Facebook Adverts. These ads may appear on our website or other websites you visit.

To see how Google uses your information and how to control it, please view their policy here.

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We do not and will not sell or deal in Personal Data or any customer information. Your Personal Data details may be disclosed to comply with a legal requirement, in the course of a legal proceeding or in response to a law enforcement agency request. Also, we may use your Personal Data to protect the rights, property or safety of Hot Octopus, our customers or third parties.

If there is a change of control in one of our businesses (whether by merger, sale, transfer of assets or otherwise) customer information, which may include your Personal Data, could be transferred to a purchaser under a confidentiality agreement. We would only disclose your Personal Data in good faith and where required by any of the above circumstances.

Your Personal Data details may also be disclosed where it is necessary to support the delivery of client services or other related activities, including to:

- Third party service providers (including IT providers)

- Australian Taxation Office

We may also use or disclose your information and in doing so are not required to seek your additional consent when it is disclosed or used for a purpose related to the primary purposes of collection detailed above and you would reasonably expect your personal information to be used or disclosed for such a purpose. Should it be necessary for Hot Octopus to disclose such personal data to third parties outside the firm, we will make every effort to ensure that the confidentiality of the information is protected.

In the event we propose to disclose such personal data other than for the reasons set out in this policy, we will first notify you or seek your consent prior to such disclosure.

OVERSEAS DISCLOSURE

The nature of our business activities may on occasion require that personal information be disclosed to overseas recipients in order to provide the services agreed upon. It is not always practicable to know where your data may be held. We may use overseas IT services (including software, platforms and infrastructure) such as data storage or other IT infrastructure. By submitting your personal data to Hot Octopus, you expressly agree and consent to the disclosure, transfer, storage or processing of your personal information outside of Australia. In providing this consent, you understand and acknowledge that countries outside Australia do not always have the same privacy protection obligations as Australia in relation to personal information.

The Privacy Act 1988 requires us to take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that any recipients of your personal information outside of Australia do not breach the privacy principles contained within the Privacy Act 1988. By providing your consent, under the Privacy Act 1988, Hot Octopus is not required to take such steps as may be reasonable in the circumstances. However, despite this, we acknowledge the importance of protecting personal information and have taken reasonable steps to ensure that your information is used by third parties securely and in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

This website may contain links to other websites. These links are meant for your convenience only. Links to third party websites do not constitute sponsorship or endorsement or approval of these websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other websites.

CHANGE IN PRIVACY POLICY

As we plan to ensure our privacy policy remains current, this policy is subject to change. We may modify this policy at any time, in our sole discretion and all modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on this website. Please return periodically to review our privacy policy.

If you have any questions or concerns at any time about our privacy policy or the use of your Personal Data, please contact us at advice@hotoctopus.com.au and we will respond within 48 hours.