Privacy Policy
Last updated: 27 December 2024
PriceHound (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our price comparison website and services. We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
When you create an account or use our services, you may provide us with:
- Account Information: Your name, email address, and password when you register for an account
- Watchlist Preferences: Products you add to your watchlist, including price alert thresholds and notification preferences
- Communication Data: Information you provide when you contact us, including email content and any attachments
- Search History: Your product searches and browsing patterns within our service (when logged in)
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information:
- Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, and referring URLs
- Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address (country/state level only)
- Technical Data: IP address, browser settings, and connection information
1.3 Information We Do Not Collect
PriceHound does not collect:
- Payment or credit card information (all purchases are made directly with retailers)
- Government identification numbers
- Health or medical information
- Precise geolocation data
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Provide and maintain our services | Contract performance |
| Send price drop notifications | Your consent / Contract performance |
| Personalise your experience | Legitimate interests |
| Analyse usage patterns and improve our service | Legitimate interests |
| Detect and prevent fraud or abuse | Legitimate interests / Legal obligation |
| Respond to your inquiries | Contract performance / Consent |
| Send service-related communications | Contract performance |
| Comply with legal obligations | Legal obligation |
4. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may collect and process your data:
PostHog (Analytics)
We use PostHog for website analytics to understand how users interact with our service. PostHog collects anonymised usage data including page views, feature usage, and user journeys.
Data collected: Page views, click events, session duration, device information, browser type.
Sentry (Error Monitoring)
We use Sentry to monitor and fix errors in our application. Sentry helps us identify and resolve technical issues quickly.
Data collected: Error logs, stack traces, browser and device information related to errors, anonymised user identifiers.
Retailers (External Links)
When you click on product links to visit retailer websites, you leave our service and are subject to the retailer's privacy policy. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We only share information with third parties as described in this policy.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account information | Duration of account + 30 days after deletion |
| Watchlist data | Duration of account + 30 days after deletion |
| Analytics data | 24 months (anonymised after 12 months) |
| Error logs | 90 days |
| Email communications | 7 years (for legal compliance) |
6. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL
- Encryption of sensitive data at rest
- Regular security assessments and updates
- Access controls and authentication requirements
- Secure password hashing using industry-standard algorithms
- Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures
While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.
7. Your Rights
Under Australian law and the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will provide this within 30 days of your request.
- Right to Correction: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to Deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions (such as legal requirements to retain data).
- Right to Data Portability: You can request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process data, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
- Right to Complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact section below. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Service is not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.
If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete the information.
9. International Data Transfers
Some of our third-party service providers are located outside of Australia. When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
These safeguards may include:
- Contractual obligations on recipients to protect data
- Transfers to countries with adequate privacy laws
- Obtaining your explicit consent where required
By using our Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries outside of Australia as described in this policy.
10. Australian Privacy Principles Compliance
We are committed to complying with the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out in Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). These principles govern how we:
- Manage your personal information openly and transparently
- Allow you to deal with us anonymously or pseudonymously where practicable
- Collect only necessary personal information
- Notify you about the collection of personal information
- Use and disclose your information appropriately
- Ensure information quality and security
- Provide access to and correction of your information
If you believe we have breached the APPs, you may make a complaint to us or to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last updated” date.
For significant changes, we will also notify you via email (if you have an account) or through a prominent notice on our website prior to the change becoming effective.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:
We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 7 business days.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy complaint, you can contact the OAIC:
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992