Privacy policy

1. Dealing with us anonymously

You may browse this site, or ask a general question, without identifying yourself or while using a pseudonym, where that is lawful and practicable. If you ask us to respond to you or to act on an enquiry, we will usually need enough contact information to do so.

2. The personal information we collect

We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for the functions described in this policy. You choose what to give us, principally when you contact us. This is typically:

• your name;
• your email address;
• your organisation and role; and
• the content of your enquiry.

If you apply to become an authorised assessor, or express interest in assessment, we collect the information you provide for that purpose. We do not generally seek sensitive information, and we ask that you not send it to us unless we have asked for it and you have agreed.

3. Technical information and cookies

When you visit the site, our website host may record limited technical information, such as your IP address and browser type, in standard server logs, which we use to operate and secure the site. The site uses no analytics and sets no non-essential cookies.

4. Information we did not ask for

If we receive personal information about you that we did not solicit, we will, within a reasonable period, decide whether we could have collected it under this policy. If we could not, and it is lawful and reasonable to do so, we will destroy the information or ensure it is de-identified.

5. How we use personal information

We use personal information to:

• respond to your enquiry;
• manage expressions of interest in authorisation or assessment;
• operate and improve the site;
• maintain the assessor directory and the public register; and
• meet our legal obligations.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it to send you marketing without your consent; where we do, you can opt out at any time. We do not use your personal information to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models, and we do not make decisions that have a legal or similarly significant effect on you by automated means.

6. When we disclose personal information

We may disclose personal information to service providers who help us operate the site and our communications, such as our hosting and email providers, who are bound to handle it only for those purposes. We may disclose personal information where required or authorised by law.

Where your enquiry concerns assessment, we may, with your agreement, pass your contact details to an assessor authorised by Decision Standards Institute under the DSI 001 scheme so that the assessor can respond to you directly. Any subsequent engagement is between you and that assessor, on that assessor's own terms, and is subject to that assessor's privacy handling, not this policy.

The assessor directory and the public register publish the names and entries of assessors authorised by Decision Standards Institute under the DSI 001 scheme and, where a certification is issued and the holder agrees, certification details, in each case on the basis agreed with those parties.

7. Government identifiers

We do not adopt a government-related identifier, such as a tax file number or Medicare number, as our own identifier of you, and we do not use or disclose such an identifier except as permitted by law.

8. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers, including website hosting, store information on servers located outside Australia. Our website host stores data on servers in the United States. Where information is held or processed overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

9. Security, retention and data breaches

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes described above or as required by law, and then take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

If we become aware of an eligible data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and affected individuals in accordance with Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

10. Access and correction

You may ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. Contact us at the details below. We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles, and if we decline access or correction we will tell you why.

11. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, contact us first. We will acknowledge your complaint within five business days and aim to provide a substantive response within thirty business days. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

12. Children's privacy

This site is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The current version, with its effective date, is the version published on this page.

14. Contact

Privacy enquiries: enquiries@decision-standards-institute.org.