Privacy policy

Last updated 27 September 2026

This policy explains how Drink Map (“we”, “us”) handles personal information when you use drinkmap.net. We aim to handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

The short version

• You don't need an account, and we don't ask for your name or contact details to use the site.
• We don't use advertising or tracking cookies, and we don't sell or rent personal information.
• We count visits with cookie-free analytics that doesn't identify you.
• If you email us, we use what you send to reply and to act on your request.

What we collect and why

Your age confirmation. When you confirm you are 18 or over, your browser stores a small note (dm-age-ok) so you aren't asked again. It stays on your device and is not sent to us. Clearing your browser data removes it.

Where the map opens. Your browser also remembers the last area you looked at on the map (dm-last-view), so the map reopens there. On your first visit, the site asks our host which of the areas in our area list (such as Melbourne or Bendigo) is nearest, based on the approximate, city-level location our host works out from your internet connection. Only the area's name is sent back to your browser; we don't store your location.

Your location, only if you ask. If you use “Near me”, your browser asks your permission and then tells the site your approximate position so the map can move there. We don't store it. The map then asks our database for the venues in the area on screen, so that request shows the area you are looking at, as it does whenever you move the map.

Technical information. Like almost every website, the services that deliver Drink Map automatically receive information such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you request and the time of the request. This is used to deliver the site, keep it secure and fix problems, and is kept in logs for a limited time.

Visit counts. We use Vercel Web Analytics to count page visits and see which pages and searches are used, so we can improve the site. It doesn't use cookies, doesn't follow you across other websites and doesn't identify you: visits are counted in aggregate.

Emails you send us. If you contact us at hello@drinkmap.net or venues@drinkmap.net, we receive your email address, your message and anything you choose to include. We use it to respond, to verify and make listing changes, and to keep a record of what was changed and why.

Information about venues

Venue listings come from public liquor licensing registers and other public sources (see Sources & attribution). They are about businesses, not individuals. Some registers list a licensee's name as the venue name; where that happens we show a general description instead (for example “Pub in Healesville”). If you think a listing includes your personal information, contact us and we will review it.

Service providers

We use trusted providers to run the site. They process information on our behalf and only as needed to provide their service:

• Vercel - hosts the website, keeps server logs, provides cookie-free visit counts and the approximate location used to choose where the map opens.
• Supabase - hosts the venue database the site reads from.
• Our map-tile provider (currently MapTiler) - supplies the map images, so it receives your IP address and the map area being viewed.
• Our email provider - stores emails you send us.

Some of these providers store or process data outside Australia, including in the United States and Europe. We choose providers that have reasonable security and privacy practices.

Links to other sites

Venue pages link to venues' own websites and social media, and to map services for directions. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which we don't control.

Security and keeping information

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold from misuse, loss and unauthorised access. We keep emails and correction records only as long as we need them for the purposes above or as required by law.

Children

Drink Map is only for people aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

Access, correction and complaints

You can ask to access or correct personal information we hold about you, or make a privacy complaint, by emailing hello@drinkmap.net. We will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.