Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 June 2026

1. Overview

Six Month Society ("the Platform", "we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who use our services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using the Platform, you consent to the practices described in this policy. We recommend reading this alongside our Terms & Conditions.

2. What We Collect

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide and improve our services. The types of information we collect include:

Information you provide directly

  • Account details: Name, email address, phone number, password.
  • Profile information: Display name, bio, location (suburb/city), interests, profile picture.
  • Provider details: Business name, qualifications (where applicable).
  • Program activity: Enrolment requests, check-in content, program requests, votes.
  • Communications: Messages sent through the Platform or to our support channels.

Information collected automatically

  • Usage data: Pages visited, features used, timestamps of activity.
  • Device information: Browser type, operating system, screen resolution.
  • Analytics data: We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the Platform is used. This may include anonymised IP addresses and browsing behaviour. See Section 8 for details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Account management: Creating and maintaining your account, authenticating your identity.
  • Service delivery: Processing enrolment requests, facilitating squad assignments, enabling check-ins.
  • Communication: Sending enrolment confirmations, status updates, and service-related notifications via email.
  • Matching: Connecting you with relevant programs based on your interests and location.
  • Platform improvement: Analysing usage patterns to improve features, performance, and user experience.
  • Safety & compliance: Preventing fraud, enforcing our Terms, and complying with legal obligations.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

Sharing with Program Providers

This is the most important data-sharing relationship on the Platform. When you request to enrol in a program, your name, email address, and phone number are shared with the Provider so they can manage your enrolment, contact you about scheduling, and coordinate squad activities.

You are presented with a clear consent notice before each enrolment request. By proceeding with the enrolment, you explicitly acknowledge and accept that your contact information will be provided to the Provider. Your consent is recorded with a timestamp.

Once your information has been shared with a Provider, the Provider becomes independently responsible for how they handle that data. Six Month Society does not control, monitor, or accept liability for how Providers use, store, or disclose your personal information after it has been provided to them. We encourage you to review any privacy policies or terms offered by the Provider directly.

If you have concerns about how a Provider has used your information, you should contact the Provider directly. You may also contact us at [email protected] and we will endeavour to assist where we can, however we cannot compel a Provider to take any particular action regarding data they already hold.

Other Users

Your display name and profile picture are visible to other users. Additional information (real name, email, phone, location) is only visible if you choose to enable those settings in your Privacy Controls. Within squads, your display name and check-in content are visible to other squad members.

Service Providers

We use trusted third-party services to operate the Platform:

  • Cloud hosting & storage: Amazon Web Services (AWS) — servers and file storage in AWS regions. See Section 6 for international transfer details.
  • Analytics: Google Analytics 4 — anonymised usage data. See Section 8.
  • Email notifications: Transactional emails for enrolment updates.
  • Authentication: Secure credential management and session handling.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information where required by law, regulation, or legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or the public.

5. Your Privacy Controls

You have meaningful control over your data on the Platform:

  • Display name: A randomly generated display name (e.g., "User_7x3k") is assigned at signup. You can change it to anything you like. Your real name is never shown publicly unless you enable it.
  • Privacy toggles: In your Profile settings, you can independently control whether your real name, email, phone number, and location are visible to other users.
  • Profile picture: Optional. You can upload, change, or remove your profile picture at any time.
  • Enrolment consent: Data sharing with Providers requires your explicit acknowledgment before each enrolment. By consenting, you accept that the Platform is not responsible for the Provider's use of your data once shared.

Note: Privacy toggle settings do not affect data shared with Providers upon enrolment. Provider data sharing is governed by the enrolment consent process, not profile visibility settings. Once shared, your data is under the Provider's control and the Platform accepts no responsibility for their handling of it.

6. International Data Transfers

Our Platform uses cloud infrastructure (Amazon Web Services) which may store and process data in locations outside Australia, including the United States. Where data is transferred overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through the use of contractual safeguards and industry-standard security measures.

7. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organisational measures, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS).
  • Secure password hashing (bcrypt).
  • Role-based access controls.
  • Secure cloud storage with access policies.
  • Session-based authentication with secure token management.

No system is perfectly secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you become aware of a security breach, please contact us immediately.

8. Cookies & Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

  • Essential cookies: Required for authentication and session management. These cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics cookies: Google Analytics 4 helps us understand how the Platform is used. GA4 does not collect personally identifiable information. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

We do not use advertising cookies or sell data to advertising networks.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g., transaction records for tax compliance).

Aggregated, anonymised data that cannot identify you may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes.

10. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Act, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data.
  • Complaint: If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles, you may lodge a complaint with us first, and if unsatisfied, with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or a prominent notice on the Platform. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates the most recent revision.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us at:

Six Month Society
Email: [email protected]

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Website: oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992