Beyond Borders Privacy Policy

Introduction

Beyond Borders is dedicated to safeguarding individual privacy and securing personal information provided by users of Beyond Borders websites (all sites within the “www.beyondborders.org.au” domain and Beyond Borders country sites, collectively “Beyond Borders website”) as well as Beyond Borders web pages on external platforms (such as official Beyond Borders profiles on social media). By accessing the Beyond Borders website, you agree to the terms outlined in this privacy policy.

This policy explains what information is collected by Beyond Borders and third parties when you visit www.beyondborders.org.au or official Beyond Borders pages on other platforms, and how that information is used and stored. Any personal information voluntarily shared with Beyond Borders is treated with the highest level of care and security and will only be used as described in this policy. Links on our website may direct you to related sites, such as those of our partner organisations that fundraise on behalf of Beyond Borders. These sites have their own privacy policies, which may differ slightly from ours.

How We Use Your Personal Information

You have the choice to provide personal information. When you engage in activities on our website, such as making a donation, subscribing to our newsletter, registering interest in our initiatives, or applying for a position, you may voluntarily provide details like your name, email address, postal address, or other information.

Beyond Borders will only contact you for purposes related to our mission, and you can opt out of our communications at any time (see the opt-out section below). Using personal data, such as your email address, we may deliver targeted messages on social media platforms or identify individuals likely to support Beyond Borders’ efforts to assist displaced communities. This process may involve uploading an encrypted list of email addresses to platforms like Instagram for matching purposes. These platforms do not store or reuse this data beyond the matching process. If you prefer your data not be used in this way, please complete our contact form.

When you upload content to a Beyond Borders website or official social media account, we may access certain metadata, such as EXIF data in photographs, which could include details like the camera model, timestamp, or location. This information may be used for verification but will not be shared beyond the Beyond Borders communications team.

Sharing Your Personal Information

We may share your personal information with:

• Our trusted agents or service providers, including digital marketing firms or social media platforms, to facilitate communications about Beyond Borders’ initiatives, conduct direct marketing, or process donation transactions you initiate.
• Our partner organisations that fundraise for displaced communities, with whom we may also share anonymised data collected via cookies to provide tailored content.

Sensitive financial information will never be shared. Beyond Borders is committed to keeping your information secure and will never sell or exchange it with unrelated third parties.

Opting Out

If you provide your email address or donate through the Beyond Borders website and opt in to receive communications, you may receive our newsletter or other updates via email. We may also occasionally reach out via direct mail, phone, or SMS. Every email from Beyond Borders includes an option to unsubscribe, or you can opt out by completing our contact form.

Cookies

Beyond Borders collects anonymous browsing data through cookies when you visit our website. By using the Beyond Borders website, you consent to the placement of cookies, as described below, on your computer, mobile phone, or other device.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files containing letters and numbers stored on your device when you visit the Beyond Borders website. We use cookies to ensure website functionality, monitor performance, target our audience, and tailor content on our site and elsewhere. Cookies are sent when you visit www.beyondborders.org.au, participate in surveys or polls, or request information. While cookies do not provide access to personally identifiable information, they help us identify your device. Encrypted cookie data helps us evaluate website performance, improve user experience, and deliver relevant reminders about Beyond Borders’ mission after you leave our site. This data remains anonymous and is based on behaviour, not personal details.

Disabling Cookies

You can configure your browser to notify you before accepting cookies or to block them entirely. However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of the Beyond Borders website.

How Cookies Are Used on Beyond Borders Website

We aim to be transparent about our use of cookies to ensure your privacy is protected. Cookies are used for the following purposes:

1. Enhancing Your Website Experience – Cookies help us deliver relevant content and minimise irrelevant material. For instance, if you show interest in a specific campaign or crisis, cookies allow us to prioritise related information on your next visit. They also help us avoid showing you forms or petitions you’ve already completed and provide insights into factors like your location, referral source (e.g., email or social media), or browser compatibility to improve your experience.
2. Evaluating Website and Communication Performance – Cookies provide anonymous statistics on user behaviour, such as the number of visitors, their referral sources, and their interactions with the site. This data helps us identify popular pages and content, allowing us to optimize our website and assess the impact of our social media and email campaigns.
3. Personalizing Marketing Messages – Cookies enable us to display tailored advertisements on other websites based on your interactions with the Beyond Borders website. For example, if you view content about a specific humanitarian crisis, you may see related campaign messages elsewhere. No personally identifiable information is shared with our advertising partners.
4. Monitoring Advertising Efficiency – We use cookies from platforms like Google Analytics and DoubleClick to track how users arrive at our website from media campaigns, evaluate the effectiveness of campaign messages, and analyse post-click actions. This helps us plan cost-effective campaigns to advocate for displaced communities.
5. Reaching Supporters on Social Media – Cookies allow us to target messages on social platforms and identify potential supporters of Beyond Borders’ mission. This data is used solely for these purposes and not by service providers for other reasons.

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on the Beyond Borders website originate from third parties. For example, visiting pages with embedded content like YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, or social media plugins (e.g., Instagram share buttons) may result in cookies from those sites. We also use third-party cookies for targeted advertising and performance tracking. Beyond Borders does not control these third-party cookies, so we recommend reviewing the respective websites’ privacy policies. Beyond Borders is not responsible for data collected by websites it does not own or manage, even if linked to our site. Most browsers allow you to disable all or only third-party cookies.

Responsibilities of Users

Beyond Borders may invite its community to share photos and videos, referred to as User Generated Content (UGC), on its websites or social media. By submitting such content, you acknowledge it as non-proprietary and non-confidential. Sharing content via email, social media tagging, or dedicated upload platforms grants Beyond Borders an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, and publish the material on its websites and publications, along with the name you provide. You retain ownership of your content and may continue to use or license it as you wish.

Content shared with Beyond Borders may appear on any of our global websites or social media accounts. When we request content, we clarify its intended use, typically for re-sharing on our channels or websites. Exceptional content may be considered for promotional materials, in which case we will attempt to contact you to discuss usage and attribution preferences. Beyond Borders does not pay for or generate revenue from individual UGC pieces.

Conditions for Uploading Content

When submitting content to Beyond Borders, you must:

• Share only your original work, ensuring you have the necessary rights or permissions for any third-party material (e.g., music, images, or video).
• Obtain consent from identifiable individuals in your content, including parental or guardian consent for children under 16.

You must not submit or share content that:

1. Is false, misleading, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, threatening, invasive of privacy, or unlawful.
2. You do not own or lack necessary licenses/permissions for.
3. Is technically harmful (e.g., contains viruses or corrupted files).
4. Impersonates others or misrepresents affiliations.
5. Removes author attributions, legal notices, or proprietary labels.
6. Falsifies the origin or source of material.
7. Involves advertising, surveys, contests, chain letters, or illegally distributed files.

Inappropriate content will be rejected or removed. If you are unsure, refrain from sharing. If your content violates these terms or applicable laws, and Beyond Borders incurs costs, expenses, or liabilities, you agree to indemnify us. Beyond Borders may disclose your identity or related information to third parties or authorities if required due to claims of rights violations.

Uploading Content to Social Networks

Content uploaded to social networks and tagged with Beyond Borders is subject to that platform’s terms of use and privacy policy, which may differ from ours. Be aware that some platforms, particularly those based in the US, may store your data outside your country under different legal frameworks.

Notification of Changes

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or to improve how we inform you. We encourage you to check this section of the Beyond Borders website regularly for updates. Changes will take effect upon posting and will not apply retroactively.