{"id":5450,"date":"2020-11-11T06:42:33","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T06:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/castancentre.com\/?p=5261"},"modified":"2020-11-11T06:42:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T06:42:33","slug":"83-of-australians-want-tougher-privacy-laws-nows-your-chance-to-tell-the-government-what-you-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/11\/11\/83-of-australians-want-tougher-privacy-laws-nows-your-chance-to-tell-the-government-what-you-want\/","title":{"rendered":"83% of Australians want tougher privacy laws. Now\u2019s your chance to tell the government what you want"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Associate Professor Normann Witzleb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter has called for submissions<\/a> to the long-awaited review of the federal Privacy Act 1988.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first wide-ranging review of privacy laws since the Australian Law Reform Commission produced a landmark report<\/a> in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia has in the past often hesitated to adopt a strong privacy framework. The new review, however, provides an opportunity to improve data protection rules to an internationally competitive standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the ideas proposed \u2014 and what\u2019s at stake if we get this wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Australians care deeply about data privacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personal information has never had a more central role in our society and economy, and the government has a strong mandate to update Australia\u2019s framework for the protection of personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Australian Privacy Commissioner\u2019s 2020 survey, 83% of Australians said they\u2019d like the government to do more<\/a> to protect the privacy of their data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intense debate about the COVIDSafe app earlier this year<\/a> also shows Australians care deeply about their private information, even in a time of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Privacy laws and enforcement can hardly keep up with the ever-increasing digitalisation of our lives. Data-driven innovation provides valuable services that many of us use and enjoy. However, the government\u2019s issues paper<\/a> notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Australians spend more of their time online, and new technologies emerge, such as artificial intelligence, more personal information about individuals is being captured and processed, raising questions as to whether Australian privacy law is fit for purpose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic has accelerated the existing trend towards digitalisation and created a range of new privacy issues<\/a> including working or studying at home, and the use of personal data in contact tracing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australians are rightly concerned<\/a> they are losing control over their personal data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there\u2019s no question the government\u2019s review is sorely needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issues of concern for the new privacy review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s review follows the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission\u2019s Digital Platforms Inquiry<\/a>, which found that some data practices of digital platforms are unfair and undermine consumer trust. We rely heavily on digital platforms such as Google and Facebook for information, entertainment and engagement with the world around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our interactions with these platforms leave countless digital traces that allow us to be profiled and tracked<\/a> for profit. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found<\/a> that the digital platforms make it hard for consumers to resist these practices and to make free and informed decisions regarding the collection, use and disclosure of their personal data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has committed<\/a> to implement most of the ACCC\u2019s recommendations for stronger privacy laws<\/a> to give us greater consumer control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the reforms must go further. The review also provides an opportunity to address some long-standing weaknesses of Australia\u2019s privacy regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s issues paper<\/a>, released to inform the review, identified several areas of particular concern. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n