Last updated: 28 March 2025

Detection Dog League (DDL) values and respects the privacy of the people we deal with. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and other applicable privacy laws and regulations. This Privacy Policy (Policy) describes how we collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information, and how we maintain the quality and security of your personal information. It also explains your rights in relation to that information and how you can contact us with any questions.

DDL is an Australian-based organization, and our services are available worldwide. Where local laws apply outside of Australia, we aim to comply with any additional obligations under those local laws to the extent required.

1. Scope

This Policy applies to all individuals (including visitors to our website, customers, prospective customers, or other individuals we interact with) who provide personal information to DDL in the course of our operations, including through our website and related services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

“Personal information” is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. We may collect the following types of personal information:

  1. Contact details: including your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address.
  2. Account details: such as username or login credentials if you create an account on our website or platform.
  3. Payment information: where necessary to process financial transactions (e.g., if you make a donation or pay for a service, we may collect credit card or bank account details through a secure payment gateway).
  4. Communication history: records of your interactions with us via email, phone, social media, or other communication channels.

2.2 Dogs’ Information

We may collect information about dogs in the course of providing our services, including:

  1. Dog identification details: such as the dog’s name, breed, and age.
  2. Dog health or training information: where relevant to the services or information you request from us.

2.3 Video and Audio Submissions

We may also collect and store video or audio files that you submit, for instance:

  1. Training videos: videos of dog training sessions, demonstrations, or other relevant activities.
  2. Audio recordings: voice recordings or other relevant audio files that you choose to share with us.

These files may contain personal information if your voice, image, or other identifying details are captured.

2.4 Other Information

We may also automatically collect certain information when you visit our website. This may include:

  • Technical information: such as IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, time and date of visit, and other similar data.
  • Cookies and tracking technologies: which help us analyze usage of our website, remember your preferences, and enhance your user experience.

3. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information in a variety of ways, including:

  1. Directly from you: when you submit information via forms on our website, sign up for our services, send us emails, or otherwise contact us.
  2. Through automated technologies or interactions: as you interact with our website, we may automatically collect technical information (via cookies, analytics, server logs, etc.).
  3. From third parties or publicly available sources: for example, if you engage with us through social media platforms or if we acquire information from a partner organization in compliance with applicable laws.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  1. Provision of services: including responding to inquiries, processing payments, and facilitating our dog detection training and support services.
  2. Website operation and improvement: to ensure our website functions properly and to improve its content and functionality.
  3. Communication: to send you updates, newsletters, or other information you have requested or we believe may be of interest to you (where permitted by law).
  4. Compliance and legal obligations: to comply with Australian and international laws, regulations, or law enforcement requests.
  5. Protecting our rights and interests: as necessary to protect, establish, or exercise our legal rights and defend against potential legal claims.

We will not use or disclose your personal information for any other purpose unless you have given your consent or we are legally permitted or required to do so.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose your personal information under the following circumstances:

  1. Service providers: We may disclose your information to trusted third-party service providers (e.g., IT support, payment processors, analytics providers) who assist us in operating our business and website.
  2. Legal and regulatory requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or to comply with a legal obligation.
  3. Business transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that deal, subject to confidentiality arrangements.
  4. Your consent: We may disclose your personal information to other third parties where you have expressly consented or requested that we do so.

Where we disclose your personal information to third parties, we ensure they are bound by confidentiality and privacy obligations that are consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act and any other applicable privacy laws.

6. International Transfers

Because our services are available worldwide, we (or our service providers) may transfer your personal information to recipients located outside of Australia. Where we transfer your personal information to another country, we will take steps to ensure it remains protected in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act and any additional relevant local data protection laws.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:

  1. Secure data storage systems with restricted access.
  2. Encryption for data in transit where appropriate (e.g., Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology).
  3. Regular monitoring of our systems to identify potential vulnerabilities.

Despite our efforts, no method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. If you suspect any misuse or unauthorized access to your personal information, please contact us immediately.

8. Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if you believe any information is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. To make such a request, please contact us using the details in the “Contact Us” section below. We may need to verify your identity before releasing information.

9. Retention of Personal Information

We only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy (unless a longer retention period is required by law). When personal information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

10. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to analyze trends, administer our website, track users’ movements around our website, and gather demographic information about our user base. You can choose to reject cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features on our website.

11. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We recommend that you review the privacy policies of any third-party websites or services you visit before providing them with your personal information.

12. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16 (or other age as required by local law). We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under this age. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information without parental or guardian consent, please contact us, and we will take steps to delete such information.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about our privacy practices. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, or if you wish to request access to or correction of your personal information, please contact us at: