Merchant Privacy Policy

MasterCard's Commitment to your Privacy
As part of an industry dealing with sensitive financial information, MasterCard has always recognized the importance of consumer privacy. Years ago, we implemented policies and programs designed to create an awareness of these issues and to help protect your privacy.

Today, with the rise of the Internet, concern about privacy has sky-rocketed. MasterCard's commitment to your privacy has evolved with technology and encompasses our website and online relationships.

MasterCard's consumer privacy initiatives include:

• Website Privacy Statement
  
• MasterCard's Formal Privacy Position
  
• Providing More Information
  

Website Privacy Statement
MasterCard respects and upholds your right to privacy protection under the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 and we are required to comply with the National Privacy Principles in respect of the collection, use, disclosure and handling of personal information. We respect your right to privacy at all times. This includes the time you spend with us here, on mastercard.com/au. Each time you come to our website, you may provide two levels of information about your visit:

1. Statistics collected on an aggregate basis as you browse the site, and

2. Personal information you knowingly choose to furnish.

We want you to be aware of how we handle this information.

1. Statistics about your visit
As you browse the site, MasterCard's computer collects information about your visit, not about you personally. We monitor statistics such as:

• How many people visit our site
  
• How many people return to our site
  
• Which pages people visit on our site
  
• Where people were before they came to mastercard.com/au
  
• The number of people who leave to visit another site promoted on mastercard.com/au
  

This information is collected on an aggregate basis. No personal information is associated with the statistics. For example, while we can determine that on a specific day the site had thousands of visitors, we do not know anything about those visitors in terms of name, e-mail address or any other personal data.

Different technologies are used to collect aggregate statistics. These include: cookies and web server logs. Web server logs tell which pages are more and less popular in our site and where people were before they came to mastercard.com/au. Cookies tell how many people visit MasterCard's site, how many people return to our site, and what language preferences our users have.

These statistics are used to monitor traffic so we can effectively handle site capacity. The statistics also help us determine which parts of the site are most popular. With this information we can continually improve the MasterCard site to better meet the needs of cardholders, merchants and prospective customers.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Share
Throughout the MasterCard site, you have the opportunity to send e-mails, register to download and order MasterCard brand marks, request brochures, enter contests and respond to various promotions. If you choose to participate in any of these activities, you will be providing MasterCard with some type of personal information about yourself.
In terms of personal information on the MasterCard site, you can be assured that:

• MasterCard does not collect personal information from you unless you provide it to us voluntarily and knowingly.
  
• If you do choose to provide us with personal information, MasterCard uses it only for the purpose specified.
  

For example, if you give us personal information, as part of the registration process in one of our promotions, and consent to us advising you of future promotions, the information will be used only as necessary to conduct the promotion and to advise you of future MasterCard promotions only if you consent to receiving such information. MasterCard does not use this information for any other purpose. Nor do we sell, rent or give this information to any other entity.

As another example, a special area on our site allows you to report problems you have had using your MasterCard or other situations requiring personal attention. Messages sent via this form are all individually read by our Customer Service department. Information you send to our Customer Service department is used only to help resolve your problem and is otherwise kept completely private.

MasterCard uses the services of data capture and management organisations to assist in the organisation and administration of this website. Accordingly it is necessary for us to share personal information collected through this website with these organisations.

3. Access to Personal Information we hold about you
If your personal information changes (such as your address), or if you no longer wish us to keep your personal information on file, we will endeavour to provide a way to correct, update or remove your records. We may charge you a small fee to cover any administrative costs that we may incur in providing personal information to you. If you believe for any reason that we are holding inaccurate or incomplete information about you, you may ask us to correct it.

If you wish to access your personal information or have any questions in relation to our treatment of your personal information, please contact:

The Privacy Officer by e-mail to: privacy@mastercard.com

If the information you are requesting includes sensitive data, such as an account number, we will ask you to identify yourself properly when you request access to the information.

MasterCard's Formal Privacy Position
The foundation for all of MasterCard's efforts in the area of consumer privacy is MasterCard's Privacy Position, adopted at the end of 1995. The purpose of the Privacy Position is to provide flexible guidelines that can be adapted to meet the demands of changing technology and varying consumer expectations regarding privacy. These guidelines apply worldwide, but note that in Australia and certain other countries additional privacy protections or procedures are required by law and are observed by MasterCard.