Privacy policy
Last updated: 17 August 2026. Effective from the same date.
1. Who is responsible
MergeDiary operates the website at mergediary.com as an independent editorial project publishing notes on free-to-play mobile games. For the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, MergeDiary is the entity that decides how personal information collected through this site is handled.
Questions about this policy, or about the information we hold, can be sent to editors@mergediary.com.
2. What we collect
2.1 Information you give us
- Your email address, when you subscribe to the newsletter. This field is required.
- A name or nickname, if you choose to enter one. This field is optional and may be left blank.
- The fact that you ticked the consent box, together with the date and time of that action.
We do not ask for a telephone number, a postal address, or payment card details anywhere on this site.
2.2 Information collected automatically
- Technical log data: IP address, user agent, referring page, requested files, date and time of the request.
- Cookies and similar identifiers set by this site and by the services listed in section 5. Details are in our cookie notice.
- Push notification identifiers created by OneSignal if you allow browser notifications. These identify a browser installation, not a person by name.
- Aggregated statistics about page views and general location at country level.
3. Why we use it and on what basis
- To send the newsletter and browser notifications. Basis: your consent, given by ticking the box and, for notifications, by allowing them in your browser. You may take that consent back at any time.
- To operate and secure the site. Basis: our legitimate interest in keeping the service available and protected against abuse.
- To understand which notes are read. Basis: consent given through the cookie notice, where analytics cookies are used.
- To show advertising, including promoted links to games. Basis: consent given through the cookie notice.
- To administer reading plans once paid plans are available, including confirming a plan and handling cancellation requests. Basis: performance of the agreement between you and us.
4. How long we keep it
- Newsletter records: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them, and for up to twelve months afterwards as proof that consent was given.
- Push identifiers: until you turn notifications off in your browser or clear site data.
- Server logs: up to twelve months.
- Analytics and advertising cookies: for the periods listed in the cookie notice.
- Records related to a paid reading plan: for the period required by Australian tax and accounting rules, generally five years.
5. Who else is involved
We share personal information only with service providers who help us run the site, and only to the extent they need it:
- Hosting and content delivery providers, which process technical log data in order to serve pages.
- OneSignal, which processes email addresses, optional names, tags and push identifiers so that the newsletter and browser notifications can be delivered.
- Analytics providers, which receive aggregated usage statistics where you have agreed to analytics cookies.
- Advertising networks, which may receive cookie identifiers where you have agreed to advertising cookies.
- A payment provider, once paid reading plans are activated. Card details would be handled by that provider directly and would never be stored on this site.
Some of these providers operate servers outside Australia, including in the United States and the European Union. Where information is disclosed overseas we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it in a way consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. We never sell personal information.
6. Cookies
This site uses necessary cookies to function, and analytics and advertising cookies only where you agree through the notice shown on your first visit. Categories, purposes and retention periods are set out in the cookie notice, which also explains how to change your choice.
7. Your rights
- Ask what personal information we hold about you and request a copy of it.
- Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.
- Ask us to delete your newsletter record and push identifier.
- Take back your consent at any time, without affecting anything done before you did so.
- Unsubscribe using the link in any newsletter, or by writing to the address in section 1.
- Turn browser notifications off at any time in your browser settings for this site.
We answer requests within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the national privacy regulator, at oaic.gov.au.
8. Security
The site is served over an encrypted connection. Access to newsletter records is limited to the editors who need it, and we review that access periodically. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access.
9. Children
This site is written for an adult general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 15. If you believe a child has subscribed, write to us and we will remove the record.
10. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes we will update the date at the top of the page and, where the change is significant, mention it in the newsletter. Continuing to use the site after a change means the updated policy applies.