Office of the Privacy Commissioner | Trade Me firearm licence FAQs
The Privacy Commissioner has received a number of enquiries about the process for trading firearms on Trade Me. These FAQs are in response to many of the issues raised in those enquiries.
What legal basis does Trade Me have to disclose my gun ownership information with Police?
The Privacy Act says disclosure to another agency in this way is permissible where it is authored by the person concerned. If you want to buy, sell, or post an enquiry on Trade Me about an auction of a firearm, Trade Me will ask you to disclose your name and gun licence number. Trade Me will also inform you the information will be passed on to Police for verification.
What gun ownership information is Trade Me going to share with Police?
The only information that Trade Me will share with Police is the name of the firearms seller or prospective buyer and their gun licence number. No other additional information about the user or the auction will be disclosed.
What information will Police give to Trade Me about my gun ownership information?
Trade Me will only disclose the buyer or seller’s name and gun licence number so that Police can verify this information. Trade Me will receive a ‘yes or no’ answer to each enquiry and won’t get additional personal information from Police. No information about the auction or the Trade Me user will be disclosed to Police.
Do Police need my consent to share my gun ownership information with Trade Me?
Yes, and you’re giving it when you transact on Trade Me. Trade Me will ask any Trade Me user that wants to buy, sell, or post an enquiry on an auction of a firearm to disclose their name and gun licence number. As part of this process, Trade Me will inform you the information will be passed on to Police for verification.
Will my gun ownership information be publicly accessible?
No. None of this information will be publicly accessible. It will only be shared between Trade Me and Police.
Who will be able to see my firearm ownership information?
Access to this information will be limited only to Trade Me employees whose roles require them to see customer information.
Will my gun ownership information be disclosed to other parties?
No. None of this information will be publicly accessible. It will only be shared between Trade Me and Police.
Will criminals be able to access my gun ownership information?
No. None of this information will be publicly accessible. It will only be shared between Trade Me and Police.
Is Trade Me allowed to retain this information?
While firearm licence information is sensitive, so is a great deal of other information which Trade Me holds about account holders. Trade Me is obliged to store that information securely, limit access to those with a legitimate need to know and retain it only as long as required for legitimate business purposes.