After two years of campaigning, Fairfax journalist, Ben Grubb, finally got the decision he was seeking: metadata could be considered “personal information” under the Privacy Act 1988 (the ‘Privacy Act’). The landmark decision by the Australian Privacy Commissioner came about after Grubb was refused access to metadata which is available to law enforcement agencies and … Continue Reading
On 19 January 2015, the Australian data protection authority, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), released an updated information security guide: ‘Guide to securing personal information.’ The Guide aims to help organisations meet their data security obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPS) that provide the framework for Australia’s Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy … Continue Reading
Australia’s privacy protection reform laws came into force in mid-March, making significant changes to the regulation of data. Further reform is now on the horizon, with the Australian Law Reform Commission (the Commission) publishing a discussion paper titled, ‘Serious Invasions of Privacy in the Digital Era’ (Discussion Paper). The Commission is carrying out an inquiry … Continue Reading
The Australian data protection authority, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), has issued two sets of guidelines further to our previous blog analysing earlier guidelines issued on the Australian Privacy Principles (APPS) that will provide the framework for Australia’s Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 scheduled to take effect beginning 12 March … Continue Reading