Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill received first reading in Senate this week after lapsing in 2013
The Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill is back on the government agenda after it had a first reading in the Senate this week.
The Bill lapsed in 2013 after a second reading in parliament was delayed during June and the Coalition government was elected into office.
If passed by the Coalition, the bill will require government agencies and businesses to notify customers of serious data breaches in relation to personal, credit reporting, credit eligibility or tax file number information.
The 2014 version of the Bill includes the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) which were passed into law on 12 March this year.
If the Bill is passed, Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim would have the power to investigate data breaches. This means if he finds there has been a serious data breach in relation to personal information, credit reporting information, credit eligibility or tax file number, the Commissioner could ask the company or government agency to prepare a statement explaining what happened.
The statement would need to include information such as a description of the breach and recommendations about steps affected customers or clients should take.
Australian Information Security Association (AISA) Queensland branch chair Lani Refiti told Computerworld Australia that organisations need to be “held more accountable” for the data they hold, particularly when it’s not their data.
“We would have much better visibility into the current state of information security in Australia if we had mandatory breach notification,” he said.
“It's not a panacea, compliance and regulatory requirements never are but they would be a step in the right direction. Also, it [the bill] needs careful public consultation as was done with the Privacy Bill amendments.”
In June 2013, a Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs recommended the bill should be passed, stating that mandatory data breach notifications would benefit both Australian consumers and industry stakeholders.
In October 2013, Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said that while it was a decision for the Coalition government as to whether they would reintroduce the new legislation, he was supportive of it becoming law.
“I will be putting to government that I think it is an important piece of legislation,” he said. “It’s something that needs to be given strong consideration for reintroduction.”
Timothy Pilgrim has been contacted for comment by Computerworld Australia.
Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia
If the FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google) sector and their measured worth are the final argument for the successful 21st Century model, then they are beyond reproach. Fine-tuning masses of algorithms to reduce human touchpoints and deliver wild returns to investors—all with workforces infinitesimally small compared to the giants of the 20th Century—has been proven out.
Marketers have made strides this year in sustainability with the number of brands rallying behind the Not Business As Usual alliance for action against climate change being a sign of the times. While sustainability efforts have gained momentum this year, 2020 is shaping up to be the year brands are really held accountable for their work in this area.
As a Marketer, the ‘Scotty from Marketing’ meme troubles me.
In this bonus last episode of this new podcast series, BrandHook MD, Pip Stocks, talks with former ANZ group general manager of marketing, Louise Eyres, talks about the importance of thinking like a customer and using intuition to solve customer painpoints.
It's a pretty interesting article to read. I will learn more about this company later.
Dan Bullock
40 staff and 1000 contracts affected as foodora closes its Australian operations
If you think it can benefit both consumer and seller then it would be great
Simon Bird
Why Ford is counting on the Internet of Things to drive customer engagement
It's a good idea. Customers really should control their data. Now I understand why it's important.
Elvin Huntsberry
Salesforce CMO: Modern marketers have an obligation to give customers control of their data
Instagram changes algorithms every time you get used to them. It really pisses me off. What else pisses me off? The fact that Instagram d...
Nickwood
Instagram loses the like in Australia; industry reacts positively
I tried www.analisa.io to see my Instagram Insight
Dina Rahmawati
7 marketing technology predictions for 2016