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Privacy

Merivo Privacy Policy.

This policy explains what personal information Merivo collects, why it is collected, how it is handled, who it may be shared with and the choices and rights you have under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

What we collect

Contact details, enquiry details and ordinary website analytics data.

Why we collect it

To respond to enquiries, deliver services and improve our website and work.

Your rights

Access, correction, complaint and opt-out rights under Australian law.

1. Introduction and who we are

This is the Privacy Policy of Merivo (Merivo, we, us or our), an Australian business providing digital growth services including website design, Local SEO, Google Business Profile optimisation and ongoing Growth Partner support, primarily for established Australian service businesses.

Merivo is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This policy describes how Merivo manages personal information and sets out the rights available to individuals whose information we hold.

For business contact details, see Section 15 below.

2. What this policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to the personal information Merivo collects, uses, holds and discloses when you:

visit the Merivo website at merivo.com.au (including any subdomains);
submit a form, such as a contact form, Free Website & Local SEO Review request, booking request or related enquiry;
contact Merivo by phone, email, messaging, social media or in any other way;
book a Discovery Call or otherwise engage with scheduling or enquiry tools;
become or are a client, supplier, subcontractor, partner or referrer of Merivo; or
otherwise provide personal information to Merivo, including during the normal course of our services.

This policy should be read together with the Website Terms of Use which govern access and use of the Website.

3. Types of personal information we collect

The types of personal information Merivo may collect include (as relevant to the interaction):

Contact details: name, job title, business name, email address, phone number, website address and postal or service location where provided;
Enquiry and engagement information: the subject of an enquiry, project background, business context, requirements, messages, booking preferences, notes and documents submitted or exchanged;
Client and supplier information: invoicing and billing details, service scope, correspondence, project records, reporting data and any information necessary to perform our services or manage a relationship;
Website and analytics information: page views, approximate region (e.g. Sydney or NSW), device type, browser type, referring website, visit duration, event data such as button or link clicks and similar non-identifying technical data; and
Other information you choose to provide: any additional information you voluntarily submit or share in communications, documents, calls or meetings.

Merivo generally does not collect sensitive information (within the meaning of the Privacy Act) unless it is reasonably necessary and the individual has provided express consent, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

4. How we collect personal information

4.1 Directly from you

Most commonly, personal information is collected directly from you when you submit a form, send an email, call Merivo, book a call, upload a document, provide feedback or otherwise communicate with us.

4.2 Through the website and embedded tools

Personal information may also be collected automatically or through embedded tools including:

website analytics and measurement tools;
scheduling and booking platforms;
form and CRM systems;
email delivery, open and click-tracking where permitted;
consent management tools; and
any third-party integration made available through the Website.

4.3 From third parties

Occasionally, Merivo may receive personal information from a third party such as a referrer, partner, supplier, subcontractor, business contact or public source, but only where it is reasonable and practicable to do so and consistent with the APPs.

5. Why we collect, use and hold personal information

Merivo collects, uses and holds personal information for one or more of the following primary purposes:

to respond to enquiries, requests for reviews, bookings and questions;
to assess suitability for a service, scope a project and prepare proposals, reports or recommendations;
to deliver, manage and improve Merivo’s services, including website design work, Local SEO work, Growth Partner services, reporting, invoicing and related client communications;
to maintain and improve the Website, understand how visitors use it and make evidence-based improvements;
to provide updates, articles, insights or marketing where appropriate consent or permission exists;
to administer our business operations, systems, records, accounts, insurance, referrals and subcontractor relationships;
to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including taxation, record-keeping and lawful requests; and
any other purpose made clear to you at the time of collection, or as otherwise permitted by law.

If the relevant personal information is not provided, Merivo may be unable to respond to an enquiry, deliver a requested service or fulfil other purposes described above.

6. Disclosure to third parties

Merivo may disclose personal information to third parties in limited circumstances, including:

Service providers and subcontractors: trusted service providers who assist Merivo in operating its business or delivering services, such as hosting companies, website infrastructure providers, CRM and form systems, email or communications providers, scheduling platforms, analytics services, cloud storage and document management providers, accounting or payment processors, and specialist subcontractors engaged to deliver specific elements of client work.
Referrers and business contacts: in limited cases, with appropriate context and to the extent reasonably necessary, information may be shared with a referrer, introducer or trusted partner to facilitate an introduction or service delivery.
Professional advisors: legal, accounting, insurance and other professional advisors where Merivo reasonably requires their services.
Legal or regulatory bodies: where Merivo believes, in good faith, that disclosure is required by law, to comply with a lawful request from a government agency, regulator or authority, to protect Merivo’s legal rights, or to prevent fraud, harm or misuse.

Where practicable and appropriate, Merivo will de-identify information before sharing it with third parties.

7. Overseas disclosure

Some of the third-party tools and service providers used by Merivo may be operated from, or may process or store data in, jurisdictions outside Australia. Examples may include providers of cloud infrastructure, email services, analytics, scheduling platforms, CRM systems, form tools and payment processors, commonly including providers based in the United States, Ireland, Singapore and other jurisdictions. Where Merivo discloses personal information to an overseas recipient, Merivo takes reasonable steps, where practicable, to ensure the overseas recipient handles the information consistently with the APPs, either through contractual protections, participation in recognised frameworks, or otherwise in accordance with the Privacy Act. By using the Website, submitting information to Merivo or engaging Merivo’s services, you acknowledge that personal information may be processed and stored overseas on this basis.

8. Storage, retention and security

8.1 Storage

Personal information is held in a combination of secure systems including password-protected devices, encrypted or access-controlled cloud storage, CRM systems, email systems, backup services and paper records where necessary. Access is restricted to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis.

8.2 Retention

Merivo retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to provide services, to administer the relationship and to satisfy any legal, accounting, taxation, dispute resolution or record-keeping obligations. Retention periods will vary depending on the nature of the information and the relationship.

8.3 Security measures

Merivo takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. No data transmission or storage method can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, but Merivo applies industry-standard and proportionate safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

Where a data breach involving personal information occurs, Merivo will assess the incident in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act and take any required actions, including notifying affected individuals and the OAIC where required.

9. Cookies, analytics and website tracking

9.1 What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website to enable the website to function, remember preferences between visits and understand how the website is used. Most modern browsers allow cookies to be blocked or removed, although doing so may limit some functionality.

9.2 Categories of cookies and related technology used

Merivo may use the following categories of cookies and similar technologies on the Website:

Necessary or essential cookies: required for the basic operation of the Website, including security features, form submission and navigation.
Analytics and measurement cookies: used to understand aggregated, non-personally-identifiable usage of the Website such as pages visited, time on site, approximate location, device type, channel of visit and button or link interactions. This information helps Merivo improve the Website and its usefulness to visitors.
Preference or functionality cookies: used to remember preferences such as consent status where a consent banner or tool is deployed.

9.3 Consent and managing cookies

Where required by law, Merivo will seek consent for non-essential cookies and similar tracking technologies. You may manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality available to you.

10. Direct marketing and opt-out

Merivo may from time to time send communications that could be considered marketing, such as insights, updates, relevant articles, event invitations or service offerings, where:

you have provided express consent (for example by opting in at the point of submitting a form);
you have an existing or recent relationship with Merivo and the communication is related to similar services you have enquired about or received; or
the communication is otherwise permitted under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and applicable privacy law.

Any marketing communication from Merivo will include clear and easily accessible unsubscribe or opt-out instructions. If you wish to opt out of marketing communications at any time, you may do so by following the instructions in the relevant message or by contacting Merivo using the details in Section 15.

11. Your rights and choices

Under the Privacy Act and the APPs, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal information Merivo holds about you. These include the rights set out below.

Right of access: you can request access to the personal information Merivo holds about you, subject to certain exceptions under law.
Right to correction: you can request correction of personal information that you believe is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
Right to opt out of marketing: you can opt out of marketing communications as described in Section 10.
Right to complain: you can make a privacy complaint if you believe Merivo has mishandled your personal information, as described in Section 13.
Right to withdraw consent: where Merivo relies on your consent as the lawful basis for a particular use or disclosure, you may withdraw that consent at any time, subject to reasonable prior notice and any legal or contractual requirements that apply.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Merivo using the privacy contact details in Section 15.

12. Accessing and correcting your information

If you would like to request access to, or correction of, personal information Merivo holds about you, please contact Merivo in writing using the details in Section 15, providing sufficient information to identify you and the information you are requesting.

Merivo will respond to access or correction requests within a reasonable period (usually within 30 calendar days of receiving a valid request). Merivo may request reasonable additional information to verify your identity before complying with a request.

In some circumstances, Merivo may decline a request for access or correction where permitted or required by law. If that happens, Merivo will explain the reason for the refusal, and will make a note of the requested correction on the relevant record if we are unable to make the correction ourselves.

13. Complaints

If you consider that Merivo has breached the APPs or any applicable privacy law in handling your personal information, please submit a written complaint using the privacy contact details in Section 15. Your complaint should describe the issue in sufficient detail, including dates, communications and any supporting information. Merivo will acknowledge the complaint and respond with the outcome of an internal investigation within a reasonable period, typically no more than 30 calendar days. Where we need longer, we will write to you explaining the reason for the delay and the expected timeline. If you are dissatisfied with Merivo’s response, or with the way your complaint was handled, you may refer the matter to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

14. Updates to this policy

Merivo may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, in the way personal information is handled, in the services offered, or in Merivo’s business practices. Any updated version will be published on the Website, with a revised “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

Where material changes are made, Merivo may (at its discretion) also provide more direct notice, for example by a notice on the Website or an email to known contacts. We encourage you to review this page periodically for the latest information.

15. Contacting Merivo about privacy

For any privacy-related questions, requests or complaints, or if you would like to exercise any of your rights under this policy, please contact Merivo at:

Attention: Privacy Officer
Email: dean@merivo.com.au
Phone: +61 403 551 955
Website: merivo.com.au/contact/
Location: Sutherland Shire, Sydney, Australia

Merivo will handle all privacy-related correspondence in a timely and confidential manner.

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