Preamble

The Slug Sleuth app has been developed by Gaia Resources for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS).

The purpose of this policy is to tell you what kind of personal information that the NSW National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) may collect from you when you use the Biosys, BioNet-Atlas, BioNet Vegetation Classification, BioNet APIs and Slug Sleuth applications (collectively the “App”), how we may use that information, whether we disclose it to anyone and how you can access this information.

This privacy policy only concerns personal information collected by NPWS. The Slug Sleuth application is distributed through Google Play and the App Store. By using this application you may also provide personal information directly to Google or Apple. Depending on your preferred smart phone system, we recommend that you examine the Privacy Policy of your Android or Apple device and Terms of Service of Google Play and the App Store.

Your right to privacy

In dealing with your personal information NPWS must comply with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) which regulates the collection, storage, quality, use and disclosure of personal information.

What is your personal information?

Personal information is information or an opinion about you. You do not need to be named in the information. It is only necessary that information about you is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained from the information. Personal information is found not just in paper files but also in such things as electronic records, video recordings and photographs.

NPWS does not disclose such information to any third party other than as specified below.

What personal information do we collect?

We will collect the following personal information from you when you register to use the App:

• your full name
• email address
• phone number (except for the Slug Sleuth application).

If you apply for a Sensitive Species Data Licence through BioNet Atlas, and are applying as an individual, we will collect your full name, email address, postal address, suburb, postcode and phone number.

You will also be directed to create a public username when using the App, your user name may include your personal information if you can be identified from this information. As noted below, your username is published when you post an observation on the App.

We may also collect the following information from you when you use the App:

• information about the physical site where an observation was made, including place name, time, time zone, date and coordinates
• your IP (internet protocol) address or host name when you visited the App
• the pages you attempted to view or download, and whether those pages were displayed
• the device and operating system you are using
• whether you have previously visited our App (only if you accept cookies).

We will not collect other personal information from you.

Why are you collecting my personal information?

The purpose of collecting your personal information is to help administer the App and help validate any observations submitted by you. NPWS collects additional information for the Sensitive Species Data Licence because of the high-value information that this licence allows a person to access and enter into relevant App databases.

We use your personal information to deliver our services to you so that you can participate in the full experience of the App.

In addition to some of the specific uses of information we describe in this Privacy Policy, we may use information that we receive to:

• help you efficiently access your information after you sign in
• remember information so you will not have to re-enter it during your visit
• provide, improve, test and monitor the effectiveness of the App
• develop and test new products and features
• diagnose or fix technology problems.

Is providing my personal information voluntary?

Providing the personal information described above is voluntary, yet if you do not provide this information you cannot use the App.

Will you disclose my personal information to any person?

Subject to the below, NPWS will not disclose your personal information to any third party.

When you post an observation, this information is published on the App.

The information that will be published is your user name, your unique Bionet observer identification number, and information about the physical site where an observation was made, including place name, time, time zone, date and coordinates.  As noted above, your user name may include your personal information if you can be identified from this information.  However, your observer identity does not have to be your name and we publish the observer identity to project the integrity of the observation process.

In addition to being published, this information will be disclosed to other parties. As these projects are part of broader national studies and conservation works we share your observations in a machine-readable format for certain observations with the Atlas of Living Australia, the Australian Ecological Knowledge Observation System (AEKOS), the Sharing and Enabling Environmental Data (SEED), and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

What about links to other websites?

This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by the App.

The App may contain links to other sites. We make no representations or warranties as to the privacy practices of any site operated by a third party and are not responsible for the privacy policies of such sites.

We recommend that you examine the Privacy Policy for all third-party websites you visit to understand their procedures for collecting, using and disclosing personal information.

Access, storage and accuracy of personal information

Your personal information is being collected by NPWS, Level 14, 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000. It will be held by NPWS in an encrypted cloud-based server.

Access – under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 you have the right to access personal information NPWS holds about you.

Accuracy – we are committed to ensuring that the information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date, so we encourage you to advise us if the information you have given us has changed. If you believe our information is inaccurate, please contact us.

Retention – we will retain the information you have provided for a period that is appropriate for the purpose for which it was provided. Your information will be archived and disposed of in accordance with NPWS policies, legislative requirements and guidelines based on the NSW State Records Act 1998.

Security – We take reasonable steps to preserve the security of your personal information and other information or data processed through the App. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as perfectly secure. As a result, although we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us and you transmit such information at your own risk.

Once we have received information you transmit to us, we take reasonable steps to protect information during transfer and storage. Physical measures, such as building and equipment security, are used in conjunction with digital technology, such as data encryption and firewalls, to minimise unauthorised access to information.

Privacy enquiries

General privacy enquiries or enquiries concerning access to, or amendment of, your personal information that is held by NPWS, can be made by contacting the  Information and Privacy Team on 02 9995 5266, at pia@environment.nsw.gov.au or in writing to:

Manager, Privacy and Information Access
Privacy and Information Access Unit
PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232

Privacy information can also be found on the NPWS website at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/help/privacy.htm