Privacy Policy

Who we are

Our website address is: https://ozvisaforum.com.

Information We Collect

Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect:

  • Data provided in the comments form,
  • Visitor’s IP address,
  • Browser user agent string (to help spam detection).

An anonymized string created from your email address (hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here . After approval of your comment, your profile picture will be visible to the public in the context of your comment.

User Registration

When users register on our site, we collect:

  • A user ID,
  • Email address.
  • Your location (Optional)
  • Where you want to live in Australia (Optional)
  • The Australian Visa Class you are applying under (Optional)
  • Confirmation of your use of an Australian Migration Agent (Optional).

Media

If you upload images, avoid embedding location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract such data from images on the site.

Location and IP Address

We capture your current country and/or location. This data, along with your IP address, may be used by our spam detection software to prevent fraudulent or abusive activity on the forums.

Cookies

Cookies may be used to enhance your experience, including:

  • Saving your name, email address, and website when you leave comments (for one year).
  • Setting temporary cookies for login purposes or other site functionality.
  • Tracking user preferences and activity for site optimization and marketing.

Google Analytics and Google Ads

We use Google Analytics to monitor website traffic and usage patterns and improve our services. Google Analytics may collect information such as:

  • Pages visited,
  • Duration of visits,
  • Browser types,
  • Referring URLs.

We also use Google Ads for targeted advertising. These services may use cookies or other tracking technologies to display relevant advertisements based on your browsing behaviour. For more information about how Google uses data, visit Google’s Privacy Policy.

How We Use Your Data

We use collected data to:

  • Facilitate and enhance your user experience,
  • Detect and prevent spam and fraudulent activity,
  • Analyse website performance,
  • Provide targeted advertising,
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Who We Share Your Data With

Service Providers
We may share your data with third-party services, such as:

  • Google (for analytics and advertising),
  • Automated spam detection services.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users and others.

How Long We Retain Your Data

Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely to facilitate follow-up discussions.
Registered user data is stored in user profiles, editable and removable by users (except usernames).
Other data may be retained as necessary for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Your Rights Over Your Data

You can request:

  • An exported file of the personal data we hold,
  • Deletion of your personal data (excluding data required for legal, administrative, or security purposes).

To exercise these rights, please visit the link here to initiate a data export request.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments and activity may be checked through automated spam detection services or other third-party tools.

Embedded Content From Other Websites

Content from external websites (e.g., videos, images, articles) behaves as if you visited those websites. These external sites may collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction.

Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have implemented a range of technical, administrative, and organisational measures to protect it from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

  • Secure servers and encryption protocols to safeguard data during transmission,
  • Regular security assessments and monitoring to detect and address vulnerabilities,
  • Restricted access to personal data, limited to authorized personnel only,
  • Best practices in data storage and handling to maintain confidentiality and integrity.

While we strive to provide a secure environment, please note that no online platform or transmission of data over the Internet can be guaranteed to be entirely secure. We encourage you to take your own precautions to protect your personal information, such as using strong passwords and keeping them confidential.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

This policy may be updated periodically. Please review it regularly to stay informed about how we are protecting your data.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us via the form available here.