Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 18 July 2026  ·  Last Updated: 21 July 2026

1. Who We Are

whereto.com.au ("we", "us", "our") is an online directory and search engine for products, services, and attractions where you are or where you want to go in Australia. Our website is accessible at https://whereto.com.au.

We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and all relevant legislation and regulations.

For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected].

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

• Information you provide voluntarily — such as your name and email address, if you contact us.
• Usage and analytics data — including pages you visit, searches you perform, and how you interact with the site, collected via Google Analytics 4.
• Device and technical data — such as your IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system.
• Location data — if you choose to share your location to improve search results, we use this only to rank results and do not store it.
• Cookies and similar technologies — small files stored on your device to improve your browsing experience (see Section 9).

We do not collect sensitive personal data (such as health information, financial account details, or national identification numbers) unless you voluntarily provide it.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• Directly from you when you contact us or use our platform
• Automatically through your use of our website via cookies and analytics tools
• From third-party services such as Google Analytics and other Google services

Where it is reasonably practicable to do so, we will collect personal data directly from you.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data collected for the following purposes:

• Provide, operate, and improve the whereto.com.au platform;
• Display search results relevant to your queries;
• Record the text of searches performed, through Google Analytics 4, so we can understand what people look for;
• Respond to your enquiries and support requests;
• Send you service-related communications (where you have consented);
• Monitor site performance and detect technical issues;
• Analyse usage patterns, trends, and search behaviour to improve our service and develop insights;
• Create aggregated, de-identified, or anonymised data sets derived from user activity;
• Share or disclose data (including aggregated or de-identified data) with third parties for business purposes, including advertising, marketing, research, and business development, where permitted under the Privacy Act;
• Provide targeted or interest-based advertising and promotions, including through third-party advertising partners; and
• Comply with applicable Australian laws and regulations.

By using whereto.com.au, you consent to your personal data being used for all of the purposes set out above, in accordance with the Privacy Act and all relevant legislation and regulations. We may use your data in any way that is consistent with this policy and applicable law.

5. Google and Third-Party Services

Our search functionality is powered by Google services. When you perform a search on whereto.com.au, your search query is transmitted to Google's servers to retrieve business listings. This processing is subject to Google's Privacy Policy. We do not store third-party business data on our own servers.

We also use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics may collect your IP address and usage data subject to Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

6. Disclosure of Personal Data

We may disclose or share personal data (including aggregated or de-identified data derived from it) with third parties in the following circumstances, where permitted under the Privacy Act:

• Advertisers and marketing partners — we may share data (including usage patterns, search behaviour, and demographic inferences) with advertisers and marketing companies to enable targeted advertising and promotional campaigns.
• Businesses listed on whereto.com.au — we may provide businesses listed on our platform with insights or data relating to user engagement, search trends, and interest in their category or location.
• Market research organisations — we may share data with market research companies for the purpose of consumer research, trend analysis, and reporting.
• Business partners — we may share or license data with third-party organisations for business purposes, provided such disclosure is permitted under the Privacy Act.
• Service providers — trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website (e.g. hosting providers, analytics services), who are contractually required to handle your data appropriately.
• Legal obligations — where required or authorised by Australian law, a court order, or a government authority.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction.

By using whereto.com.au, you consent to the disclosure of your personal data as described in this section and in accordance with the Privacy Act. If you do not consent, please do not use this website.

7. Data Sharing for Business Purposes

whereto.com.au is a commercially operated platform. This may include:

• Sharing or licensing data — we may share, licence, or otherwise provide data (including aggregated search data, usage trends, and behavioural insights) to third-party organisations for business purposes, where permitted under the Privacy Act.
• Advertising revenue — data about your searches and interactions may be used to display targeted advertisements or to sell advertising placements to businesses.
• Research and analytics products — we may package and share insights derived from user data as research or analytics reports.
• Business intelligence — we may provide data-driven intelligence products to businesses or other organisations about consumer behaviour and local demand trends in or relating to Australia.

Where data is shared for business purposes, we will take reasonable steps to ensure it is de-identified or aggregated wherever practicable. Where we share personal data that is not de-identified, we do so only where permitted under the Privacy Act and with your consent as described in this policy.

Your consent: By using whereto.com.au, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your data as described in this policy.

8. Overseas Transfer of Personal Data

Some of our third-party service providers (including Google) are located outside Australia. Where we transfer personal data to recipients overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure those recipients provide a standard of protection comparable to the Australian Privacy Principles, in accordance with APP 8 (cross-border disclosure of personal information). By using our website, you consent to your data being processed overseas for these purposes.

9. Cookies

whereto.com.au uses cookies to enhance your experience. Cookies we use include:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the site to function correctly.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors use the site (Google Analytics 4).
• Your chosen suburb — if you name a suburb rather than sharing your location, we store that choice in your browser's local storage so you are not asked again. This is not a cookie: it is never transmitted to us, and clearing your browser data removes it. We do not keep a history of your searches on your device.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the site.

10. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect the personal data we hold from unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or similar risks, in accordance with the Protection Obligation under the Privacy Act. These measures include secure server infrastructure, encrypted connections (HTTPS), and restricted access to personal data. We never request sensitive information such as passwords or financial details by email.

However, no method of internet transmission is completely secure. If you believe your personal data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

11. Data Breach Notification

We comply with the mandatory data breach notification obligation under Part 6A of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). A notifiable data breach occurs where a data breach:

• results in, or is likely to result in, significant harm to any affected individual; or
• is, or is likely to be, of a significant scale (generally, affecting 500 or more individuals).

Where we assess that a notifiable data breach has occurred, we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as soon as practicable, and in any case no later than 3 calendar days after making that assessment. Where the breach is likely to result in significant harm to affected individuals, we will also notify those individuals, in a manner consistent with the Privacy Act, unless an exception applies.

12. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by Australian law, in accordance with the Retention Limitation Obligation under the Privacy Act. When personal data is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to cease retaining it or to remove the means by which it can be associated with you.

13. Your Rights Under the Privacy Act

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to:

• Access — request access to the personal data we hold about you and how it has been used or disclosed;
• Correction — request correction of personal data that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading;
• Withdraw consent — withdraw your consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your personal data, subject to any legal or contractual restrictions; and
• Complaint — lodge a complaint if you believe we have breached the Privacy Act.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected]. We will respond within a reasonable time. We will not charge you for a withdrawal of consent request, though we may charge a reasonable fee for an access request in certain circumstances.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

14. Children's Privacy

whereto.com.au is not directed at children under the age of 13. In accordance with OAIC guidelines, we treat 13 as the age at which an individual may validly consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of their own personal data; we do not knowingly collect personal data from a child under 13 without the consent of that child's parent or guardian. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

Note that our Terms & Conditions separately require all users of whereto.com.au to be at least 18 years of age. That is a condition of use of the platform and is distinct from the age referred to in this section, which concerns consent to processing of personal data under the Privacy Act.

15. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including business listings and social media platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of whereto.com.au after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

17. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Any disputes arising in connection with this policy shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales.