VICUS Privacy Policy

Vicus Pty Ltd (ABN 31 677 447 504) (Vicus, we, us, our) is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).

1.     Statement of Commitment

Vicus’ purpose is to progress critical luminescence research and make luminescence dating more accessible. We respect the privacy of all individuals / organisations and are committed to ensuring that all directors, managers and employees maintain confidentiality and comply with relevant Privacy legislation and standards.

This document outlines Vicus’ privacy policy regarding the handling and management of personal / corporate information. For this policy, “personal information” refers to any individual’s personal or sensitive information as defined by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including information relevant to our clients’ business activities.

This privacy policy should be read in conjunction with our Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Policy where applicable.

2.     Personal Information Collected and Held by Vicus

Personal information collected by Vicus through its business activities will be kept on a secure server when an individual calls, writes to us or contacts us through our website or email. Access to and use of this information will be in accordance with the policies below. If we separately contact you for that purpose, we may collect personal information for marketing our services. The accuracy of information collected by Vicus is important to us and we would welcome any change or corrections put to us by clients to maintain accurate records.

Vicus will hold various information such as contact details, copies of information exchanged between individuals, and, in certain circumstances, bank account details for the purpose of providing a service to our customers. Vicus will hold and collect the following information when a person accesses our website or customer portal:

(a)    Client Information such as Internet domain details, geographical location, IP information, and Internet address of the computer being utilised to access the Vicus website;

(b)   Technical Information: such as page or service inquired, the type of browser and operating system utilised and the date and time of the access; and

(c)    Nonessential Technical Information: this includes the internet address of the website from which you linked directly to the Vicus website, and the “Cookie Information” described below.

(d)   With the consent of our clients:

a.     Physical addresses

b.     Contact details of nominated contacts

c.     Payment information and records

d.     Technical reports

e.     Purchases records through our portal

f.      Records relating to postage, data transfers and storage of samples

Vicus also holds information collected through the monitoring of email traffic.

We will take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information. This includes the storing of personal information collected by us in a password protected databases. In the event where personal information is no longer required, we will take all reasonable steps in destroying your personal information.

3.     Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Vicus will only use or disclose your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected. If we are required to release your personal information, Vicus will obtain your consent before disclosing personal data to a third party, for reasons other than sales or marketing activities to which you have consented.

Vicus will release your personal information if compelled by a court of law (if such a direction is made).

The information collected by Vicus will be used for a variety of reasons such as business transactions, credit checks, collecting overdue payments, complaint management and the sales and marketing of our services. To perform this function, we may be lawfully required to disclose your personal information (excluding banking information) to related third parties, which may include our insurers, lawyers, or other professional advisors (including credit reporting agencies).

Where Vicus lawfully discloses your personal information to third parties, we will require that third party to abide by the Privacy Laws and Acts. At no time will we disclose or sell your personal information to any unrelated third parties without prior permission.

4.     Related entities

Vicus is controlled by directors who also oversee related heritage professional services entities, being the Everick group. To manage actual and/or perceived conflicts of interest, the Vicus Research Director (who is not a director of Vicus or any other Everick group entity) is responsible for maintaining confidentiality of all client technical information, including sample locations and results. Vicus’ safeguards to ensure confidentiality include the following:

(a)    Vicus’ files and operating system are stored in a secure, password protected electronic server, accessible only by staff undertaking works in the laboratory and IT, administration and finance staff. 

(b)   All correspondence to and from the Vicus team is maintained in a secure, password protected folder accessible only by Vicus laboratory staff or IT, administration and finance staff .

(c)    Clients will be asked to electronically confirm they agree to a binding confidentiality agreement when they establish an account in the Vicus portal, which will prohibit the passing of sensitive cultural or commercial information beyond the Vicus team.

(d)   Specific project information, locations and results will not be accessible by the Vicus Directors, unless they are obliged by law to access this information (such as in the event of any legal proceedings against the company or by request from government agencies).

For the avoidance of doubt, the Vicus directors have access to financial information related to the operation of the company, including client names and the number of samples procured.

5.     Cookies

Vicus’ website uses cookies, to provide you with the best possible website experience. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile phone when browsing websites.

Cookies Are Used To:

(a)    Make Vicus’ website work as you would expect;

(b)   Save you having to log in every time you visit certain sections of the Vicus website;

(c)    Remembers your settings between visits;

(d)   Improve the speed and security of Vicus’ websites;

(e)    Continuously improve Vicus’ website for you; and

(f)     Make Vicus’ sales and marketing effort more efficient.

Vicus does not use cookies to:

(a)    Collect any personally identifiable information;

(b)   Collect any sensitive information;

(c)    Pass data to advertising networks;

(d)   Pass identifiable data to third parties;

(e)    Pay sales commissions.

Your internet web browser can be configured to reject and delete cookies, however, this may cause our website to have limited functionality.

6.     Third Party Functionality

Vicus’ website uses third party applications such as YouTube to provide you with relevant information. This third-party application may have embedded cookies or other technologies associated with it. Vicus will not collect your personal data through this online platform. Refer to the privacy policies of Youtube for more details.

7.     Access and Correction

If you wish to access, update any personal information or provide feedback or concerns about Vicus’ Privacy procedures, please contact our Customer Service department (details below) and provide as much information as possible.

8.     Complaints and Contact Details

If you feel there has been an unwarranted invasion to your private information, please contact our Research Director at:

Vicus

Attn: Dr Luke Gliganic

E: l.gliganic@vicus.net.au