Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1 April 2026  ·  Last Updated: 30 April 2026

1. Who We Are

whereto.com.au ("we", "us", "our") is an Australian-based online directory and search engine for products and services in Australia. Our website is accessible at https://whereto.com.au.

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in that Act.

For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Information you provide voluntarily — such as your name, email address, and any reviews or content you submit on the platform.
• 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 6).

We do not collect sensitive information as defined under the Privacy Act (such as health information, financial account details, or government identifiers) unless you voluntarily provide it.

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you when you submit a review, 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 information directly from you.

4. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use personal information collected for the following purposes:

• Provide, operate, and improve the whereto.com.au platform
• Display search results relevant to your queries
• Process and display reviews you submit
• 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 commercialise data (including aggregated or de-identified data) with third parties for commercial purposes, including advertising, marketing, research, and business development
• Provide targeted or interest-based advertising and promotions, including through third-party advertising partners
• Comply with applicable Australian laws and regulations

By using whereto.com.au, you consent to your personal information being used for all of the purposes set out above, including commercial and data monetisation purposes. We may use your information 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 and Commercial Sharing of Personal Information

We may disclose, share, license, or sell personal information (including aggregated, de-identified, or anonymised data derived from it) to third parties in the following circumstances:

• 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 or sell data to market research companies for the purpose of consumer research, trend analysis, and commercial reporting.
• Data brokers and commercial partners — we may sell, license, or otherwise commercialise data to third-party organisations for their own business purposes, provided such disclosure is permitted under applicable Australian law.
• 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 information appropriately.
• Legal obligations — where required or authorised by Australian law, a court order, or government authority.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

By using whereto.com.au, you consent to the disclosure and commercial sharing of your personal information as described in this section. If you do not consent, please do not use this website.

7. Data Monetisation

whereto.com.au is a commercially operated platform. We may generate revenue by monetising data collected through your use of the site. This includes:

• Selling or licensing data — we may sell, licence, or otherwise provide data (including aggregated search data, usage trends, and behavioural insights) to third-party organisations for commercial gain.
• 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 sell insights derived from user data as commercial research or analytics reports.
• Business intelligence — we may provide data-driven intelligence products to businesses, councils, or other organisations about consumer behaviour and local demand trends in Australia.

Where data is sold or shared for commercial purposes, we will take reasonable steps to ensure it is de-identified or aggregated wherever practicable. However, we may share personal information with commercial partners where permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and with your consent as described in this policy.

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

8. Overseas Disclosure

Some of our third-party service providers (including Google) are located outside Australia. Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure those recipients handle it in a manner consistent with the APPs. By using our website, you consent to your information 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).
• Preference cookies — remember your settings such as recent searches.

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 information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. 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 information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

11. Notifiable Data Breaches

We comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). An eligible data breach, as defined in s 26WE(2) of the Act, occurs when:

• there is unauthorised access to, or unauthorised disclosure of, personal information and a reasonable person would conclude that the access or disclosure would be likely to result in serious harm to any of the individuals to whom the information relates; or
• personal information is lost in circumstances where such unauthorised access or disclosure is likely to occur and would be likely to result in serious harm.

If we suspect an eligible data breach has occurred, we will conduct a reasonable and expeditious assessment within 30 days. If we have reasonable grounds to believe a breach has occurred, we will prepare a statement setting out:

• our details as the relevant entity;
• a description of the breach;
• the kind or kinds of information concerned; and
• recommendations about the steps individuals should take in response.

Where practicable, we will notify each affected individual directly. Where direct notification is not practicable, we will publish the statement on our website and take other reasonable steps to publicise its contents. We will also notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Mandatory notification is not required where remedial action is taken such that a reasonable person would conclude the access or disclosure is no longer likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals.

12. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by Australian law. Reviews and user-submitted content may be retained as part of our platform records. When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

13. Your Rights Under the Australian Privacy Principles

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

• Access — request access to the personal information we hold about you (APP 12)
• Correction — request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading (APP 13)
• Anonymity — where practicable, interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym
• Complaint — lodge a complaint if you believe we have breached the APPs

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. We will not charge you for making an access or correction request, though we may charge a reasonable fee for providing access 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 or by calling 1300 363 992.

14. Children's Privacy

whereto.com.au is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

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 information.

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 the Commonwealth of Australia. Any disputes arising in connection with this policy shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Australia.