1. Overview
Carified Pty Ltd (“Carified”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
This policy applies to all personal information collected through our website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the “Platform”).
2. Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Platform, and in some cases, information from third parties.
Information you provide
- Name, email address, and password when you create an account.
- Profile information such as your display name, avatar, and bio.
- Vehicle listing details including photos, descriptions, documents, and declared defects.
- Identity verification documents (e.g. driver's licence, passport) when completing seller verification.
- Messages you send to other users through our in-platform messaging system.
- Communications you send to us via contact forms, support requests, or feedback submissions.
Information we collect automatically
- Log data including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps.
- Device information such as operating system and screen resolution.
- Usage data such as search queries, listing views, and saved listings.
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see the Cookies section below).
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information to:
- Create and manage your account and authenticate your identity.
- Publish and display vehicle listings on the Platform.
- Conduct seller identity verification to maintain marketplace trust.
- Facilitate communication between buyers and sellers.
- Send transactional emails such as email verification, password resets, and listing updates.
- Improve the Platform through analytics and user feedback.
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or prohibited activity.
- Comply with our legal obligations.
We will not use your personal information for purposes unrelated to those listed above without your consent, unless required by law.
4. Disclosure to Third Parties
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with third parties only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers: Trusted vendors who help us operate the Platform (e.g. cloud hosting, email delivery). These providers are contractually bound to process your data only as directed by us.
- Other users: Your public profile and listing information (display name, listing content) is visible to other users of the Platform as intended. If you message another user about a listing, they will see your display name and the content of your messages.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose information where required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of users or the public.
- Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.
5. Identity Verification
Sellers on Carified may voluntarily complete identity verification to receive a verified badge. This process involves submitting a photo of a government-issued ID document and a selfie directly to us.
Verification is reviewed manually by our team. Submitted documents are only ever accessible to authorised staff, via time-limited links, and are permanently deleted from our storage as soon as a decision is made. We retain only the verification outcome (approved/rejected, the date, and — if rejected — the reason given) — not the documents themselves.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal information within 90 days, except where:
- We are required by law to retain it for a longer period.
- It is necessary to resolve an outstanding dispute or enforce our agreements.
- It has been anonymised in a way that no longer identifies you.
7. Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit (TLS), encrypted storage for sensitive fields, and access controls limiting who can view personal data internally.
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you become aware of any security vulnerability on the Platform, please report it to support@carified.com.au.
8. Your Rights
Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct information that is inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete.
- Delete your account and associated personal information, subject to retention obligations above.
- Complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if you believe we have breached the APPs.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@carified.com.au. We will respond within 30 days.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to registered users by email at least 14 days before taking effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision.
11. Contact
For privacy-related enquiries or complaints, contact our Privacy Officer at support@carified.com.au. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the OAIC at oaic.gov.au.