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Updates to our
Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy changes

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law and our practices. When we do, we will set out a summary of the changes. If the changes are significant, we may also advise you directly.

31 October 2023

We’ve clarified some aspects of how we manage personal information in the following sections:  

Our promise to you 

We’ve clarified the limited circumstances in which it may be necessary for us to share communications content (like calls, texts or emails) with third parties. For example, this may be necessary to detect fraud or in emergencies involving health and safety.  

Learn more about our promise to you 

How we collect your personal information 

We’ve added social media, advertising and customer insights providers to the examples of third parties where we may collect your personal information from. 

We’ve also updated the ways we may create information about you, adding that we may do this by combining your information with information we receive from social media, advertising and customer insights providers. 

Learn more about how we collect your personal information

How we use your personal information 

Where the policy talks about personalising user experiences, we’ve clarified that this includes forming insights about your experience of Spark and building a picture of the kind of Spark experiences you may be interested in. 

Learn more about how we use your personal information

How we store, manage and protect your personal information  

We’ve clarified our use of both New Zealand-based and overseas partners in our data processing and storage activities.  

Learn more about how we store, manage and protect your personal information

 

17 June 2022 

We’ve updated the page, ‘How we store and keep your personal information safe’. We have made the examples under ‘How long we keep your information for’ clearer. 

29 April 2022 

We’ve updated our ‘Your privacy: your choices and rights’ page, to ensure you’re aware that you can request deletion of your social sign-on information from your Spark app/MySpark online account. We’ve also updated it to explain how you can request closure of your Spark app/MySpark online account, and the data that we will delete when you request that. 

1 September 2021 

We’ve updated our ‘Your privacy: your choices and rights’ page, to ensure you’re aware that when you live chat with Spark from any third-party platform (not limited to WhatsApp, Apple or Google, as previously mentioned) that they may also use your personal information as per their respective privacy policy. 

2 August 2021 

We’ve updated our ‘Your privacy: your choices and rights’ page with links to the WhatsApp, Apple and Google privacy policies to ensure you’re aware that when you share information with us via these platforms, they may also use your personal information. 

19 April 2021 

We’ve made our privacy policy shorter, simpler and easier to read. The information we collect from you, how we collect it and what we do with it hasn’t changed. 

22 October 2020 

Many of our policy changes cover the introduction of our new Spark App (whenever we refer to Spark digital platforms this includes our Spark app as well as our Spark website).  We’ve also made some slight tweaks to our existing wording throughout the policy, to ensure it’s simple and easier to read. The rest of the changes are detailed below.

Sections updated Changes
Supplied data

We collect your preferences and settings when you use our digital platforms.

We collect any photos you choose to provide us when you use our digital platforms. 

We have clarified that we may collect information about you from publicly available sources, such as real estate listings, and we may sometime purchase information about you from third party aggregators.

If you take part in market research, we may combine your survey answers with information we already hold on you or your account, like your mobile or broadband plan to help our research analysis (but we don’t hold your answers under your account).

 

Usage data

We’ve extended our service location data sources to include Wireless.

We have noted that as well as IP addresses, we may collect device identifiers and browser information when you use Spark services.
Spark online experience data

We have provided a more comprehensive list of the information that we collect when you use our digital platforms, such as our Spark App e.g. push notification preferences.

We’ll be offering some location-based services and may collect your online location data when you use our digital platforms e.g. our Spark app, but only with your permission (which you can withdraw at anytime).
Sections updated Changes
To understand how we can better serve you and your household

Often there’s more than one Spark customer living within a household. Having a better understanding of our customers as individuals and as a member of their household, makes it easier to provide services and offers that best suit their needs. For example, products that provide different features or offers that can save you money based on the size of your household.

To do this, we might form a view of your household based on data such as address information provided by you or others, your interactions with Spark and others, and location data from your devices, apps or from others. 

If you’d rather not have your information used in this way and would like to opt-out, please click the following link. Go to opt-out form

To improve customer service

To improve products and service

 We’ve combined these two sections into one: ‘To improve our customer service, products and services’. This allows us to use both usage data and Spark online experience data (as well as supplied data) to improve customer service. 
To communicate with you We may use your supplied data, Spark online experience data and usage data to let you know about our in-store and Spark Arena events or other special promotions near you (but only if you decide to share your location with us and have opted-in to receive information and communications from us).
To personalise your experience on third party websites and apps We’ve clarified that we don’t sell customer data to Facebook. This isn’t a change, but we had feedback that it wasn’t clear enough in our existing policy.
To conduct credit checks, report on payments and defaults and recover debts We may use Spark online experience data to conduct credit checks, report on payments and defaults and recover debts.
Using and sharing anonymised, aggregated data We’ve extended our location data sources to include Wireless.

 

Sections updated Changes
Access to photos and images
 We have highlighted the choices you have to control access to photos and images when you use the Spark app.
Online location data

We have highlighted the choices you have to control your online location data when you use the Spark app.
To understand how we can better serve you and your household

We have explained how you can opt out of having your information used in a way that helps us understand how we can better serve you and your household.