Lonely Planet Privacy Policy
At Lonely Planet, we understand that privacy is really important. So we have prepared this privacy policy to fill you in on who we are, our objectives in handling personal information that we collect, and how you can find out more about our privacy philosophy and the personal information that we collect about you.
So who are we?
Lonely Planet operates through different companies around the world that are all part of the Lonely Planet family. Individual Lonely Planet companies sometimes need to share personal information with other companies in the group to let us provide the quality products and standard of service you've come to expect of us. If corporate structure excites you, click here to learn more about the Lonely Planet family of companies.
What do we collect and why do we collect it?
There will be situations in which it is necessary
for us to collect information about individuals. We collect and
hold personal information such as names, addresses, e-mail addresses,
and phone numbers. If customers choose to purchase Lonely Planet
products or services, we collect credit card details and other identifying
information in order to process orders and provide customer service.
Our writers (some of whom work on contract to us) may also collect
personal information in the course of gathering material for inclusion
in our publications (although you won't always know who they are
at the time as we need to get the real story!) Click here to read
our Media Privacy Policy. The types of purposes
for which we collect information about individuals include the following
(we'll generally explain more about why we collect personal information
when we actually collect it - but there are some exceptions):
- obtaining and responding to feedback from travellers
- allowing people to share their experiences with fellow travellers on our bulletin boards
- sending our print and digital newsletters to travellers who ask for them
- processing purchase orders and providing technical support
- offering on-the-road communications services
contacting customers with exciting travel news and great Lonely Planet offers (but only if they have asked us to).
We may also collect information about individuals
involved in businesses, and this is mainly for:
- preparing listings and reviews in our publications
- sending information about Lonely Planet and our products to our media and other industry contacts
- distributing our products to distributors and retailers.
If you work for us (as an employee or under contract)
we keep information about you in the context of that relationship.
There are some differences in how we deal with that type of personal
information because of the relationship, plus some housekeeping
stuff. If you are in this group and want further information on
how we deal in the information about you, please contact your Human
Resources manager or the person who manages your relationship with
us.
But it isn't about me!
One of the best things about the Lonely Planet
community is that everyone is keen to share their views and experiences
with others. (If you don't believe us, just check out the thousands
of daily posts at the Thorn
Tree, our message boards.) We welcome your contributions
(please don't stop!). But remember, what's "gossip" to you may deserve
"privacy" in someone else's eyes. We think everyone in the Lonely
Planet community (or even outside it) has the right to some privacy.
So please respect the privacy of others. If you want to include
information about yourself we'll take it that you understand how
our services work and are happy for that information to be shared.
If you are unhappy that personal information about you has
been included in one of our publications or on one of our bulletin
boards, please let
us know. Where reasonable and possible we will remove
that information at the next practical opportunity - where it has
been included in one of our publications that may be the next reprint
or next edition.
What about "cookies"?
A "cookie" is a small message given to your web
browser by our web server. The browser stores the message in a text
file, and the message is then sent back to the server each time
the browser requests a page from the server. We make limited use
of cookies on our website for the purposes of tailoring our web
pages to your needs (this may include recording what region of the
world you are from so we don't make the mistake of requiring you
to buy stuff with British Pounds when you live in Fiji - or Australia
for that matter at current exchange rates!). We do not match cookies
to your registration details (that is, if you are registered with
us) and we do not use cookies to track your movements after leaving
this website. Most browsers allow you to turn off cookies, and the help menu on your browser should tell you how. However, switching off cookies will restrict your use of our website.
You tell who?
We may share personal information amongst companies
in the Lonely Planet family. We may also disclose that information
to our travel writers and other contractors who help us put together
the Lonely Planet products and services you know and love and, where
relevant, to our business partners who assist us in providing these
products and services, or to successors in title to our business. This may involve transferring your data from one country to another. By giving us personal information through the Lonely Planet website or communicating with us, you acknowledge and agree to our use of your data on a global basis, but if you have any concerns about this please let us know.
We will generally provide you with more details
about who we tell and why we tell them when we ask you to give us
your personal details. There are some limited exceptions to this
(for instance, where under Australian or other privacy laws we are
permitted to rely on exemptions relating to handling of employee
information, our activities in journalism, or information sharing
between related companies in the Lonely Planet family). If legal
or health and safety issues arise we may also have to make disclosures
to relevant organisations to deal with these matters.
Complaints, comments or corrections?
You generally have a right to access the personal information Lonely Planet holds about you (although there are exceptions). For some Lonely Planet services you can access
your registration and keep your personal information up to date
on line. To access correct or update your other personal information, or
if you have any questions about personal information, please contact
us by e-mail
or by writing to us at Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011, Australia.
A world without lawyers...
...it's a nice thought. However, for the time being the information
handling activities of the Lonely Planet Group are governed by privacy
laws throughout the world. For instance, in Australia that means
being guided by the Australian
National Privacy Principles. In Europe the regulations are based on EC Directive 95/46/EC.
