Displaying items by tag: Privacy laws

GUEST OPINIION by Mark Feetham, Partner, Thomson Geer:  In Australia there is no legal right to ask for personal information held about you by a third party to be deleted. While that may not seem too consequential given the willingness with which we hand over our personal information to lead our digitally connected lives (for example through use of social media services), there are circumstances when it can be life defining.

Consumer groups Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Counselling Australia have called for a “radical” overhaul of privacy laws they say will provide greater protections for consumers to counterbalance the “increased use and exploitation of big data by business and industry”.

The cross-border nature of data and increasing globalisation demand that Australia has a cyber-engagement strategy that is international in nature and aligns with our key trading partners.

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) believes the key benefits of new data breach laws will be preventive and the real impact will be to mobilise business and government.

A new study shows that extent to which Australian IT decision makers have not acted on recent changes to Australian privacy laws.

Australian digital privacy laws lag those of other countries, according to a leading academic who says legislation has struggled to keep pace with new technology allowing unprecedented levels of intrusion, surveillance of personal activities and communication of private information.

C-level executives have been warned that they risk being fined for misconduct if the don’t have the right tools in place when handling personal information when new privacy laws come into effect in one week’s time.