Privacy Policy
Last updated: 18 October 2026
Melbourne Telugu Network (“we”, “us”) is a community organisation that runs this website for Telugu people in Melbourne, Victoria. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who sees it, and how you can access or correct it. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
What we collect
- When you join: your name, email address, password (stored in encrypted form), and optionally your phone number, Australian suburb, hometown in India (state, district, mandal), and links to your Facebook or Instagram profile.
- When you use the site: posts, classified ads, profile photos, messages you send to other members, and business listings you submit.
- When you contact us: your name, email address, phone number and message.
- Automatically: technical information such as your browser, device, pages viewed and approximate location, collected through cookies and analytics tools.
Why we collect it
- To create and run your membership and show your profile in the member directory when you have agreed to this.
- To let members and businesses contact each other through the site.
- To reply to your enquiries and send you service messages about your account.
- To keep the site safe, prevent spam and fix problems.
- To understand how the site is used so we can improve it.
What other members can see
Your public member profile can show your name, suburb, hometown, profile photo and social links, depending on what you add and the consent you give when you join. Your email address and phone number are not published in the directory. If you want your profile removed from the directory, contact us and we will do this.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We use trusted services to run the site, and they may process information on our behalf:
- web hosting and email delivery providers;
- Google Analytics, to measure site use, and Google reCAPTCHA, to block spam on forms (Google may process data outside Australia);
- Instagram and Facebook (Meta), if you click their links or view embedded feeds on our pages.
We may also disclose information when the law requires it.
Cookies and analytics
We use cookies to keep you logged in, protect forms and measure traffic. You can block cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the site, such as logging in, may stop working.
How long we keep it
We keep your membership information while your account is active. If you ask us to close your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information unless we must keep it for legal reasons.
Security
We protect information with passwords stored in encrypted form, access controls and secure connections. No online service is completely secure, so please choose a strong password and do not share it.
Your choices and rights
You can update most of your details in your account dashboard. You can also ask to see the personal information we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted. Contact us using the details below and we will respond within a reasonable time, normally within 30 days.
Children
Membership is for adults aged 18 and over. Please contact us if you believe a child has registered, and we will remove the account.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.
Contact and complaints
Email us at admin@melbournetelugu.network or use our contact form. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.