January
What happened when I stalked the Australian Privacy Commissioner
Carly Kind has a tellingly thin social media presence, yet she disagrees with the policy of the Albanese government – her employer – to ban kids from the platforms.
Should you track your kids through their phones?
The combination of new technology and the age-old devotion to keep your children safe is taking “helicopter parenting” to a whole new level.
New think tank urges Albanese to stand up to Trump’s big tech buddies
The prime minister must go head-to-head with American social media giants over plans to regulate them more heavily, the Tech Policy Design Institute says.
December 2024
Meta settles Aussie Cambridge Analytica case for $50m
Facebook-owner Meta will appoint an independent administrator to distribute $50 million to thousands of Australians who were indirectly caught up in the 2018 data harvesting scandal.
November 2024
‘Punitive regime’: X warns social media ban won’t work
Elon Musk’s social media platform says the government’s moves to stop under-16s using social media is likely unlawful and technological ineffective.
Bunnings defends facial recognition after privacy breach
The privacy commissioner rules Bunnings breached its customers’ privacy, but retailer says the technology was to protect staff and stop theft.
Woolworths, Westpac funds back controversial $500m anti-crime start-up
Auror’s use of AI technology to help retailers track criminals led to an Information Commissioner investigation, but investors aren’t worried.
October 2024
Why you could be fined for using ChatGPT at work
Giving ChatGPT personal information to generate tailored marketing or financial recommendations may be a breach of privacy laws, the Privacy Commissioner says.
Small business wants out of privacy laws as data breaches rise 215pc
The small business lobby is pushing to limit the reach of Labor’s overhaul of the Privacy Act to firms with annual turnover above $10 million, up from the current threshold of $3 million.
September 2024
Legal privilege an ‘attraction’ in law firm’s consulting play
HPX Group chief executive Nick Humphrey says rolling consulting services into a legal practice means clients have a better chance of taking advantage of legal privilege.
Hamilton Locke owner bets on privacy sector growth, inks acquisition
Legal outfit HPX Group has added Anna Johnston’s Salinger Privacy to its ever-expanding group.
LinkedIn has (quietly) announced it scrapes your posts for AI
LinkedIn has quietly launched new policies outlining how it scrapes posts and personal data to train AI models. What you need to know (and how to turn it off).
Labor’s privacy reforms the ‘tip of the iceberg’
Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind is happy with a suite of new powers to hit companies with big fines for privacy breaches, but says she can’t pursue the vast majority of complaints.
Labor’s plan for protecting your privacy: hope the internet disappears
The Albanese government has squibbed at nearly 40 key privacy reforms and given in to an outdated argument that Australia is a nation of shopkeepers.
Doxxers face years in prison under new privacy offences
The Albanese government’s new privacy laws make doxxing – maliciously revealing personal information – a crime, punishable by up to seven years in prison.
August 2024
Why Australian companies need to worry about a 36-year-old US law
Australian companies which have video available in the United States could be unknowingly exposed to privacy laws passed following a scandal about the publishing of a Supreme Court nominee’s mundane video store rental history.
July 2024
‘We know nothing’: Media blasts information void in privacy reform
Uncertainty about the Albanese government’s new privacy laws threatens billions in advertising, with one data firm urging clients to pause online targeting.
Small firms fight push to force data-breach reporting
Before critical cabinet considerations of major privacy reforms, small business groups say now is not the right time to add further compliance costs.
June 2024
Medibank faces maximum $21.5 trillion fine in new cyber hack case
The privacy watchdog alleges the private health insurer failed to protect the details of 9.7 million customers, under a law that provides for a penalty of $2.2 million for each breach.
Tough jail terms for deepfake porn peddlers under new laws
The creators and sharers of non-consensual sexually explicit material will face up to seven years’ jail under the new rules, which also put pressure on tech firms.