Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 11, 2025

Introduction

Welcome to Scrap Metal Near Me ("we," "our," "us," or "the Website") located at https://scrapforum.com.au. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about the data we collect and how it is used. Please read this privacy policy carefully. By using our Website and services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information

When you complete a contact form on our Website to request information, submit listings, or inquire about scrap metal services, we may collect the following personal information:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Physical address or location
• Business name (if applicable)
• Details about your scrap metal materials
• Quantity and type of scrap metal you wish to sell or purchase
• Preferred collection or delivery timeframe
• Payment information (for premium listings or services)
• Any additional information you choose to provide

1.2 User Account Information

When you create an account on our Website, we collect:

• Username
• Password (stored in encrypted format)
• Profile information you choose to provide
• Listing history
• Transaction records
• Communication preferences

1.3 Forum Participation Information

When you participate in our scrap metal forum, we collect:

• Posts and comments you make
• Private messages you send to other users
• Your interaction history with forum content
• Forum reputation scores and badges

1.4 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Time and date of your visit
• Pages you view
• Time spent on those pages
• Clickstream data
• Referral sources
• Geographic location (city/region level)
• Device identifiers

We collect this information using cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and improve our services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

• Facilitate connections between scrap metal buyers and sellers
• Process and manage your listings on our marketplace
• Moderate forum discussions and ensure community guidelines are followed
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Improve and optimize our Website and services
• Send you relevant communications about scrap metal opportunities
• Send you promotional communications (with your consent)
• Analyze usage patterns and trends
• Prevent fraudulent activities and enhance security
• Fulfill our legal obligations
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Verify your identity when required
• Conduct research and analytics to improve our platform
• Personalize your experience on our Website

3. Third-Party Disclosure

3.1 Marketplace Participants

IMPORTANT NOTICE: By submitting your information through our marketplace listings or contact forms, you explicitly consent to the sharing of your contact details and scrap metal requirements with other users of the platform.

When you submit a listing or express interest in a listing through our Website:

• Your contact information and listing details will be shared with relevant buyers or sellers on our platform
• These marketplace participants may contact you directly via phone, email, or text regarding your listing or inquiry
• Your information may be visible to multiple users to facilitate competitive offers
• We carefully moderate our platform to maintain quality standards, but cannot guarantee the conduct of all users

3.2 Third-Party Responsibility

Scrap Metal Near Me acts as an intermediary platform connecting scrap metal buyers and sellers. Please note that:

• We are not responsible for how other users handle, store, or process your data once it has been shared with them
• Each user has their own privacy practices and business policies
• We encourage you to exercise caution and establish clear terms before engaging in transactions with other users
• We make reasonable efforts to maintain a trustworthy community through moderation and user verification where possible

3.3 Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:

• Payment processors
• Cloud hosting providers
• Email and communication service providers
• Analytics providers
• Customer support services
• Security and fraud prevention services
• Marketing and advertising partners

These service providers have access to your personal information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

3.4 Other Third Parties

We may also share your information with:

• Analytics providers who help us understand how visitors interact with our Website
• Marketing partners (with your explicit consent)
• Legal authorities when required by law or to protect our rights
• Professional advisors such as lawyers, accountants, and insurers when necessary
• Business partners in the event of a corporate transaction (e.g., merger or acquisition)
• Regulatory authorities when required by Australian law

4. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure hosting environments with regular backups
• Regular security assessments and penetration testing
• Access controls and authentication procedures
• Staff training on data protection
• Secure payment processing
• Regular software updates and patch management
• Incident response procedures

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

5. Your Rights and Choices

Under Australian privacy law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, you have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

• Access: You can request access to your personal information we hold
• Correction: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: You can request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances
• Objection: You can object to our processing of your personal information
• Marketing Communications: You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time
• Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Account Closure: You can request to close your account and remove your profile information

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 10.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect information about how you use our Website. We use:

• Essential cookies: Required for basic website functionality, such as user authentication and security
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences
• Marketing cookies: Track your browsing habits to deliver targeted advertising
• Social media cookies: Enable integration with social platforms for sharing content
• Session cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser

You can set your browser to refuse cookies, but this may limit your ability to use some features of our Website. For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:

• The length of time we have an ongoing relationship with you
• Whether there is a legal obligation to which we are subject
• Whether retention is advisable in light of our legal position (such as for statutes of limitations, litigation, or regulatory investigations)
• The nature of the data and its sensitivity
• The potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure

For user accounts, we typically retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we need to retain certain information for legitimate business or legal purposes.

8. International Data Transfers

While Scrap Metal Near Me is based in Australia and primarily serves the Australian market, we may transfer, process, and store your information on servers located in other countries where our service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from Australian law.

By providing your personal information, you consent to this transfer, storing, and processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and we will not transfer your personal information to an organization or country unless appropriate safeguards are in place.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Website is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate steps to remove such information from our systems.

10. Changes to This Privacy 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. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect and process your information.

Material changes to this Privacy Policy will be notified to you either through the email address you have provided to us or by prominently posting a notice on our Website.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.

12. User-Generated Content

Our forum and marketplace features allow users to post content, including text, images, and other materials. Any information you disclose in your public posts or listings becomes publicly available and can be collected and used by other users. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information in public areas of the Website.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: info@scrapforum.com.au
Address: Scrap Metal Near Me, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Online: Via our Contact Form at https://scrapforum.com.au/contact

14. Consent

By using our Website and submitting your information through our contact forms, listings, or forum, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described herein, including the sharing of your contact information with other users of the platform.