Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 April 2026

SerialCheck (serialcheck.com.au) is committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using SerialCheck, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Account information — your name and email address, provided when you register an account.
  • Item details — descriptions, serial numbers, categories, and other identifying information about items you register or report as stolen.
  • Photographs — images you upload of registered items.
  • Technical data — IP addresses, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps, collected automatically when you use the site.
  • Communications — any information you provide when you contact us.

2. How We Use Your Information

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To create and manage your account.
  • To enable you to register items with serial numbers for proof of ownership.
  • To maintain a searchable registry of stolen property serial numbers and generate stolen property alerts.
  • To help verify ownership and assist in the recovery of stolen goods.
  • To communicate with you about your account or items you have registered.
  • To improve our website, services and user experience.
  • To detect and prevent fraud, abuse or security incidents.
  • To comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Store and Secure Your Data

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our security measures include:

  • Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL.
  • Secure, hashed storage of passwords (passwords are never stored in plain text).
  • Access controls limiting who can view personal information.
  • Regular security reviews and updates.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information about you:

  • Google Analytics — to understand how visitors use our site, including pages visited, session duration and traffic sources. Google Analytics may collect your IP address and uses cookies. See Google's Privacy Policy.
  • Google AdSense — to display relevant advertisements. AdSense may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our site or other websites. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

These third-party services have their own privacy policies governing how they collect and use data. We encourage you to review them.

5. Cookies and Tracking

SerialCheck uses cookies and similar tracking technologies for the following purposes:

  • Essential cookies — required for the website to function, such as session cookies for authentication.
  • Analytics cookies — used by Google Analytics to help us understand site usage.
  • Advertising cookies — used by Google AdSense to serve relevant advertisements.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the site.

6. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose your information in the following circumstances:

  • Stolen item reports — when you report an item as stolen, certain item details (such as serial numbers, item descriptions and photographs) are made publicly searchable to aid recovery. Your personal contact details are not publicly displayed.
  • Law enforcement — we may disclose information to law enforcement agencies if required by law or if we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to assist in the recovery of stolen property.
  • Legal obligations — where required or authorised by Australian law, a court order or a tribunal.
  • Service providers — to trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the website, subject to confidentiality obligations.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. Specifically:

  • Account data — retained until you request deletion of your account.
  • Registered item data — retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete an item or your account, the associated data is removed.
  • Stolen item reports — may be retained for a longer period to support ongoing recovery efforts, even after account deletion, unless you specifically request removal.
  • Technical logs — retained for up to 12 months for security and analytical purposes, then deleted.

8. Your Rights Under the Australian Privacy Act

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), you have the following rights:

  • Access — you may request access to the personal information we hold about you at any time.
  • Correction — you may request that we correct any inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading personal information.
  • Deletion — you may request deletion of your personal information. We will comply unless we are required to retain it by law or for a legitimate purpose.
  • Anonymity — where practicable, you have the option of not identifying yourself when dealing with us. However, certain services (such as item registration) require an account with verified details.

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

9. Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy or handled your personal information inappropriately, you may lodge a complaint by contacting us at [email protected].

We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and aim to resolve it within 30 days. We will keep you informed of the progress and outcome of your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

  • Website: www.oaic.gov.au
  • Phone: 1300 363 992
  • Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of SerialCheck after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us: