About OPC
This section explains how we collect, use and share personal information when we are engaging with the public and with agencies when providing advice, education, and consulting on initiatives with potential privacy impacts. This includes delivering e-learning services, receiving submissions or other public consultations, advising on consultations required by law, and otherwise engaging with the community and public and private sector agencies through our website or communications activities (such as events, surveys, newsletters and focus groups).
The personal information we collect about you
Effectively engaging with the public and other public sector agencies requires us to collect and use some personal information.
From you directly
Effectively engaging with the public and other public sector agencies requires us to collect and use some personal information.
When engaging directly with you, we only collect the personal information you choose to give us and you can opt out of our communications activities, such as receiving our newsletter, at any time.
The information we may collect when you engage with us includes:
- your name (if you choose to provide it)
- your contact details, including your address, email address or phone number
- the content of your privacy question
- details of any events you have registered for, including accessibility or other specific requirements
- your responses to surveys or focus group discussions (usually these will be captured in a de-identified form)
- your e-learning results
- your submissions on code changes, the development of privacy guidance, or other consultations.
- information about your use of our website (explained further below).
We collect the following information about your use of our website (though please note we make no efforts to associate this with your identity):
- your IP address
- the search terms you used
- the pages you accessed on our website and the links you clicked on
- the date and time you visited the site
- the referring site (if any) through which you clicked to our website
- your operating system (such as Windows 10)
- the type of web browser you use (such as Mozilla Firefox).
To opt out of web analytic cookies read our cookies page for more information about the cookies we use on our website (for example to make our website or e-learning modules function, or to track and analyse website usage).
From another person or agency
We may receive information about you from other public sector agencies when they are required to consult with the Privacy Commissioner about a matter involving privacy. For example, under section 17A of the Ombudsman Act 1975, the Ombudsman must consult when dealing with a complaint that may come under the Privacy Act, and under section 29B of the Official Information Act 1982 and section 29A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the Ombudsman must consult when considering an official information request refused due to privacy concerns.
Generated by us as we carry out engagement related functions
In the course of consulting on matters referred to us by another public sector agency, we may generate personal information about you.
The personal information we may generate about you includes:
- correspondence (such as letters and emails), including between our staff or with the staff of other agencies
- file notes, memoranda, meeting minutes or other records of actions or decisions taken
- legal views or opinions.
Third party providers
We use some third party providers to manage some of our engagement processes and services, such as newsletters, events registration, and e-learning. Where we do this, any personal information you provide (such as your email address) may also be collected and stored by this provider and you should also check their privacy statements when using those services. We take steps to ensure that any providers we use can protect the personal information they process for us, including by conducting privacy impact assessments.
We use the following third party providers:
We use third party providers to carry out surveys as part of regular research among the general public to measure awareness, knowledge and levels of concern regarding privacy and the protection of personal information. The survey results are de-identified.
Links to social networking services and online accounts
We use social networking service LinkedIn to communicate with the public about our work. When you communicate with us using LinkedIn it may collect your personal information for its own purposes. LinkedIn may track your use of our website on those pages where their links are displayed, but does not have any access to the personal information we hold on our systems. Read LinkedIn's privacy policy.
If you are logged in to an online account (including LinkedIn or any Google service) while using our site, their tracking will be associated with your profile with them.
Please do not communicate with us about compliance matters on any social networking services
See our cookies page for more information.
What we do with your personal information
How we use it
We will only use the personal information you or your agency provide to us for the purposes of delivering the services you have requested (such as registering you for an event, reviewing a privacy impact assessment or processing your submission) or carrying out our lawful functions.
We may use your personal information to:
- contact you about your request, query or registration
- consider and respond to your request for advice
- consider and respond to your comment or submission
- support further engagement with you on future projects
- improve our website and the delivery of our online services
- conduct internal statistical analysis and meet our reporting requirements.
When we receive personal information about you from a public sector agency during a consultation, we will only use that information for the purpose of consulting with the agency who provided it to us, or as required by law.
When we share it
We do not generally share your personal information with third parties (other than third parties which are providing services to us). The Privacy Act requires us to protect the information that comes to our attention when carrying out our functions and only disclose what is necessary to give effect to the Act (section 206). For example, we may share your personal information in the following circumstances:
- if you make a submission to us as part of a public consultation process, such as commenting on a change to a code of practice, we are likely to publish your submission as a standard part of the consultation process
- we may also make submissions available in response to requests under the Official Information Act, subject to the secrecy provisions in section 206 of the Privacy Act
- during a consultation with another public sector agency where that consultation is permitted or required by law
- we may share personal information with the Police or another government agency or complaints body, if required by law (for example to assist with the investigation of a criminal offence), to report significant misconduct or breach of duty, or where there is a serious threat to health or safety. If our staff are threatened or abused, we may refer this to the Police (read our Threats to Staff Safety policy).
