Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy for MatesRates
Effective Date: 10/01/2025
1. Introduction
Mates Rates Services Pty Ltd ("MatesRates," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our users. We understand that your privacy is important, and we are dedicated to treating your personal information with the highest level of care and responsibility.
This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and manage your personal information when you use our platform, MatesRates, which connects Workers with people seeking services (collectively, the "Services"). By accessing or using our Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
2. Collection of Personal Information
We collect personal information about you in several ways when you use our Services:
- Information You Provide Directly to Us:
- Registration Information: When you register for an account, we collect your full name, email address, phone number, location, and other contact details.
- Worker Information: If you are a Worker, we may collect additional information such as your occupation, work experience, resume, qualifications, education, skills, interests, and other information relevant to your fitness for jobs.
- Customer Information: If you are a Customer, we may collect information about your service requests, feedback ratings, and transaction history.
- Job Application Information: If you apply for a job with MatesRates, we may collect information such photos of your previous jobs and other information you provide in your application.
- Account Updates: If your personal details change, it is your responsibility to update your MatesRates account to keep our records accurate and up-to-date.
- Information We Collect Automatically:
- Device and Usage Information: We collect information about your device and how you use our Services, such as your IP address, device ID, browser type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and interactions with content.
- Location Information: We may collect your device's location if you enable location services. We may use GPS signals, and other technologies to determine your location.
- Information from Third Parties:
- Social Media: We may collect information from social media sites that you connect to your MatesRates account, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
- Identity Verification: We may collect information from identity verification service providers to verify your identity.
- Background Checks: We may conduct police history checks or background checks on Workers and collect publicly available information such as court decisions.
- Data Partners: We may receive additional information about you from data or marketing partners.
3. Use of Personal Information
We use your personal information for various purposes, including:
- Providing and Improving Services:
- To operate our platform and facilitate connections between Workers and Customers.
- To process payments and prevent fraudulent activity.
- To customize content and advertising displayed on the Services.
- To improve the Services and develop new features.
- To provide, maintain, and protect the Services.
- Account Management:
- To create and manage your account.
- To verify your identity and protect your account security.
- To communicate with you about your account and our Services.
- Customer Support:
- To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support.
- To keep a record of communications to help resolve issues.
- Marketing:
- To send you marketing communications about our Services and promotions, with your consent.
- To expand our user base and target potential users with marketing communications.
- Research and Analytics:
- To conduct research and analysis to improve our Services and understand user behaviour.
- To generate data reports on an aggregated, non-personally identifiable basis.
- Legal Compliance:
- To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
- To enforce our Terms and Conditions.
- To protect the rights and safety of MatesRates, our users, and the public.
4. Disclosure of Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information to the following types of third parties:
- MatesRates Affiliates: We may share your personal data with our affiliated companies.
- Service Providers: We share your personal data with third-party service providers that help us operate our business and the Services, such as payment processors, data analysts, and marketing companies.
- Analytics Partners: We use analytics services such as Google Analytics to collect and process certain analytics data. These services may also collect information about your use of other websites, apps, and online resources.
- Advertising Partners: We work with third-party advertising partners to show you ads that we think may interest you. Some of our advertising partners are members of the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance. You can opt out of receiving personalized ads from these companies by visiting their opt-out pages.
- Other Third Parties: We may share your personal data with other third parties who participate in MatesRates marketing initiatives, as authorized by you or on an aggregate basis, and with consultants, advisors, and analytics providers.
- Sharing Between Users: We may share information, such as ratings and reviews about you, with other users who are looking for Workers on the Services. We may also share your personal data with other users where we are required or authorized by applicable law or legal process.
- Legal Matters & Safety: We may share your personal data with third parties to respond to legal processes or provide information to law enforcement or regulatory agencies in connection with an investigation on matters related to public safety. We may also share your personal data with third parties if we believe there has been a violation of our Terms and Conditions, our rights, or the rights of any third party.
- Sale or Transfer of Business or Assets: In the event that we, or any of our businesses, are sold or disposed of, your personal data may be one of the assets sold or merged in connection with the transaction.
- With Your Permission: We may share your personal data with any other third party with your consent or as necessary to deliver a service you requested.
5. Security of Personal Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password and for restricting access to your device.
6. Third-Party Websites and Services
The Services may contain links to third-party websites or make available services obtained from third parties. These third parties have their own privacy policies and terms of use. We encourage you to review them before providing any personal information.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites or services.
7. International Transfers of Personal Information
As MatesRates currently only operates within Australia, we do not currently transfer your personal data internationally. However, this Privacy Policy is structured to accommodate potential future international transfers of personal data.
Should we expand our operations outside of Australia in the future, we may transfer your personal data to other countries. These countries may have different data protection laws than Australia. We will take steps to ensure that your personal data is protected when it is transferred to other countries. This may include:
- Standard Contractual Clauses: We may enter into standard contractual clauses with the recipients of your personal data. These clauses are approved by the European Commission and provide safeguards for personal data transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom.
- Other Safeguards: We may also use other safeguards to protect your personal data, such as ensuring that the recipient is a member of a recognized data transfer framework, such as the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system.
8. Marketing Communications
When you register on the Services, you may be given the opportunity to opt in or opt out of receiving marketing communications from us. You can also opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by:
- Emailing us using the contact information provided on the Services.
Even if you opt out of receiving marketing communications, we may still send you administrative and account-related messages.
9. Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
You can access and correct the personal information we hold about you by logging into your account or contacting us at the details below.
10. Retention of Personal Information
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law.
11. Children's Privacy
Our Services are not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the manner in which we process your personal data, please contact us at:
Mates Rates Services Pty Ltd
Email: admin@mates-rates.app
13. Updates to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on our website and notify you as required by law.
Appendix A: Australian Privacy Terms
- Privacy Act 1988 (Cth): This Privacy Policy is governed by the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).
- Sensitive Information: We will not collect, use, or disclose any sensitive information about you without your consent.
- Access and Correction: You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information.
- Complaints: If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us. You can also make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).