Privacy Policy
Softer Volumes Privacy Policy (Australia)
This Privacy Policy sets out the principles that Softer Volumes (‘Softer Volumes’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) will follow in managing your personal information.
In this Privacy Policy, ‘you’ refers to any individual about whom we collect personal information.
Softer Volumes is committed to managing personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (‘APPs’) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (‘Privacy Act’). We will only collect, use or disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and this Privacy Policy.
1. What is covered by this Privacy Policy?
This Privacy Policy explains how we manage your personal information, including:
• the kinds of personal information we collect and hold
• how we collect and hold it
• the purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose it
• how you can seek access to and correction of your personal information
• how you can contact us to make a complaint and how we will handle it
• whether we disclose your personal information overseas, and if so, to whom and why
If you need to contact us about this policy, our contact details are at the end of this document.
2. What is personal information?
In Australia, ‘personal information’ is any information or opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not and whether recorded in a material form or not.
3. What kinds of personal information does Softer Volumes collect and how?
We may collect personal information in the course of running our publishing and e-commerce business (including our websites and online store).
When you use our services or interact with us (for example via our websites, social media, email, or phone), we may collect and hold personal information about you. We may also receive personal information about you from third parties where you have agreed they may share information with us and we have a business relationship with them (for example, payment providers, marketing platforms or analytics tools).
Examples of the personal information we may collect and how we collect it are below.
a) When you create an account or make a purchase
If you sign up as a customer or place an order, we may collect:
• name
• billing and delivery address
• country or region
• email address and phone number
• login details (e.g. username and password)
• information about your orders and purchases (what you buy, how and when)
• comments, feedback or survey responses you choose to provide
This information is needed so we can process your order, deliver your products, and contact you if necessary.
If you pay online using a card or similar method, your payment details are processed by our secure payment providers. We do not store your full card details.
b) When you use our website
When you visit our website, we may collect general site and usage data, for example:
• IP address and approximate location
• device type, operating system and browser type/version
• pages viewed and time spent on the site
• items viewed, added to cart or purchased
• referral source (for example, if you arrived from a social media or ad link)
We typically collect this data via cookies and similar technologies, as well as analytics tools.
Cookies and similar technologies help us:
• keep the site functioning
• remember your preferences
• understand how visitors use our site
• support marketing and advertising
You can usually disable cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the site may not work properly if you do.
c) When you sign up to our mailing list
If you subscribe to our newsletter or other marketing, we may collect:
• name
• email address
• interests or preferences (if you choose to share them)
We use this to send you news, updates, product launches and offers (you can opt out at any time).
d) When you contact us
If you email or message us, we may collect:
• name
• contact details
• details of your enquiry or feedback
We use this information to respond to you and maintain a record of our communications.
e) When you apply for a role with us
If you apply for a job or freelance opportunity, we may collect:
• name and contact details
• employment history and qualifications
• resume, portfolio or other application information
• referee details
We use this information only to assess your suitability for roles with us.
4. What happens if you do not provide personal information?
If you choose not to provide certain personal information:
• we may not be able to process your order or deliver products to you
• we may not be able to respond to your enquiries
• you may not be able to create an account or receive certain services (such as newsletters or digital products)
We only ask for information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities.
5. Why does Softer Volumes collect personal information?
We may use your personal information for:
a) Purposes connected with our services and relationship with you
For example, to:
1. provide you with information you request
2. verify your identity where necessary
3. contact you about your orders or enquiries
4. process and deliver orders you place via our website or other channels
5. manage your account (if you create one)
6. send you marketing communications where you have consented (or where otherwise permitted by law)
7. promote our products and services
8. improve your experience on our website and provide personalised content
9. provide customer service and support
10. manage returns, refunds and exchanges
11. comply with our legal obligations
b) Our internal business purposes
We may also use personal information for internal purposes such as:
1. data analysis to improve our products, services and website
2. auditing internal processes and ensuring regulatory compliance
3. monitoring for fraud and security issues
4. developing new products and services
5. understanding usage trends and customer preferences
6. measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
7. managing and expanding our business operations
We will only use your personal information in ways permitted by the Privacy Act, including for purposes you would reasonably expect, purposes to which you have consented, or as required or authorised by law.
6. Do we collect sensitive information?
We do not generally collect ‘sensitive information’ (such as information about your health, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political opinions or sexual orientation).
If you choose to provide sensitive information to us for any reason (for example, feedback that includes health-related details), you consent to us collecting, using and disclosing that information for the purpose for which you provided it and as permitted by the Privacy Act.
7. Do we engage in direct marketing?
We may use your contact details (for example, your email address) to send you marketing communications about Softer Volumes products, content and offers.
You can opt out of marketing at any time by:
• clicking ‘unsubscribe’ in any marketing email; or
• contacting us using the details at the end of this policy.
If you opt out of marketing, we may still contact you about orders, important notices or ongoing relationships (for example, order confirmations, shipping updates or policy changes).
8. Who do we disclose your personal information to?
We do not sell your personal information.
In the course of running our business, we may disclose your personal information to third parties such as:
• payment processors and financial institutions
• website hosting, e-commerce and IT service providers (for example, platforms like Shopify)
• analytics and advertising partners
• email and newsletter service providers
• couriers and logistics providers
• professional advisers (for example, lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers)
• fraud prevention and security service providers
• other service providers that help us operate our business or provide goods and services to you
We may also disclose your personal information:
1. to meet the purpose for which it was provided
2. if you have consented to the disclosure
3. where authorised or required by law, regulation, court order or government request
4. to assist with the investigation of suspected fraud, unlawful activity or misconduct
5. in connection with a sale, merger or reorganisation of Softer Volumes, where the receiving party agrees to handle the information in line with applicable privacy laws
We will not supply or sell your personal information to other parties except as described in this policy or with your consent.
9. Do we disclose personal information overseas?
Our service providers and technology platforms may store or process personal information in locations outside Australia.
For example, this may occur where:
• we use cloud-based services with servers located overseas; or
• our third-party providers operate from other countries.
Where we disclose personal information overseas, we will take reasonable steps to ensure those recipients handle your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws.
If you do not agree to the transfer of your personal information outside Australia, please contact us. This may affect our ability to provide some products or services to you.
10. Can you deal with Softer Volumes anonymously?
Where lawful and practical (for example, when making a general enquiry), you may choose to interact with us without identifying yourself or by using a pseudonym.
In most cases, however, we need certain personal information to provide our products and services (for example, to ship an order or respond to a detailed request).
11. How do we hold and protect your information?
We store personal information in electronic systems operated by us or our service providers (including cloud-based systems), and in limited cases in paper-based files.
We take reasonable steps to:
• implement practices, procedures and systems to comply with privacy laws and respond to privacy-related enquiries and complaints
• ensure the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, up to date and complete
• protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure
• destroy or de-identify personal information when it is no longer needed (subject to legal retention requirements)
We use security measures such as password protection, access controls and encryption to help protect information transmitted and stored. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Please contact us promptly if you become aware of any actual or suspected security breach involving your personal information.
12. How long do we keep your personal information?
We keep personal information for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law.
We consider factors such as:
• how long we have an ongoing relationship with you
• legal obligations to retain or destroy certain records
• limitation periods for legal claims
When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify it.
13. How can you access your personal information?
You may request access to personal information we hold about you.
To do so, please contact us using the details at the end of this policy and tell us what information you would like to access. For your protection, we may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
We will respond within a reasonable time. In some cases, we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the costs of locating and providing the information (but not for making the request itself).
We may refuse access in certain circumstances permitted by law. If we do, we will explain why.
14. How can you correct your personal information?
We aim to keep your personal information accurate and up to date.
If you believe any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete or misleading, you can ask us to correct it by contacting us.
We may need to verify your identity before making corrections. We will respond within a reasonable time. If we do not agree that the information needs correcting, we will let you know why and, if you request, we will attach a statement noting your view about the information.
15. Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to personal information collected by Softer Volumes.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.
16. Minors
Our products and services are aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 16 years of age.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from someone under 16, we will take reasonable steps to delete it. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
17. De-identified data
We may use or modify data we collect (including personal information) by aggregation or de-identification so that individuals cannot be reasonably identified (‘de-identified data’).
We may use de-identified data for our own business, analytical and commercial purposes. De-identified data is not considered personal information. If we re-identify any de-identified data, we will treat it as personal information and handle it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
18. How can you complain about our handling of your personal information?
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, you can contact us using the details below.
If you wish to make a complaint, please provide details of your concerns. We may need to speak with our team members or service providers as part of our review.
We will investigate and aim to respond within 30 days. If the matter is complex or requires more time, we will let you know.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
19. Other privacy terms
Other privacy notices or terms may apply in specific situations (for example, particular campaigns, forms or services). This policy does not apply to personal information of our employees in their capacity as employees.
20. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be available on our website.
We encourage you to review it periodically so you are aware of any changes.
21. Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, you can contact us at:
Email: readers@softervolumes.com