[LINK] Senate Report: Privacy Online

stephen at melbpc.org.au stephen at melbpc.org.au
Thu Apr 14 15:32:04 AEST 2011


"The adequacy of protections for the privacy of Australians online"

The Senate 

PDF The adequacy of protections for the privacy of Australians online 
<http://aph.gov.au/senate/committee/ec_ctte/online_privacy/report/report.p
df>


11th April 2011.  The rapid uptake of social networking technologies 
since 2002 has substantially expanded the amount and type of personal 
information that people are sharing online, while improvements in cloud 
computing technology have made it possible to shift vast quantities of 
personal data around the world to take advantage of cheap data storage. 

Technology has also made it possible for companies to monitor the way in 
which individuals behave online for marketing purposes. A combination of 
these developments, and other online technological advancements has 
exacerbated existing concerns with privacy protection in Australia, and 
in some instances created new concerns.

Conversely, online technology has also enhanced the ability of 
individuals and organisations to hide their personal information, 
including their identity, in certain circumstances. 

For example, it was reported in The Age that 'an industry has now sprung 
up to protect the identity of those who own dubious websites'. 

Furthermore, newer communications technologies, such as email, often 
allow users to remain anonymous, or do not record the same data about 
individual communications that was recorded with conventional 
technologies, such as telephones. This has created new challenges for law 
enforcement agencies, as the committee heard in evidence from the 
Australian Federal Police and Attorney-General's Department.

The timeliness of the committee's examination of this matter is reflected 
by the fact that it coincides with a number of reviews of privacy 
regulation both in Australia and overseas. 

In June 2010, the Australian Government released an exposure draft of 
major amendments to the Privacy Act 1988, which reflect the first stage 
of its response to the Australian Law Reform Commission's (ALRC) report 
on Australian privacy law and practice. 

The exposure draft was referred to the Senate Finance and Public 
Administration Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 1 July 
2011.

The committee understands that the government is also reviewing cyber 
security and cyber crime in response to the recent House of 
Representatives committee report Hackers, Fraudsters and Botnets: 
Tackling the Problem of Cyber Crime. 

The review will look at the practicality of implementing the 
recommendations of the Standing Committee's report and will focus on 
avenues to protect individuals, the community and the private security in 
the online world. Although the government's review is broader in scope 
than the committee's inquiry, there may be some common ground, as a 
secure online environment with adequate privacy will help protect people 
from identity theft or other online crime involving misuse of personal 
information.

The committee's inquiry also coincides with the European Commission's 
review of the general European Union legal framework on the protection of 
personal data, as well as consideration by the Attorney-General's 
Department of a mandatory data retention scheme based on that adopted by 
the EU in 2006.

Furthermore, in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission released 
a preliminary report in December 2010 on 'Protecting Consumer Privacy in 
an Era of Rapid Change' and recommended a framework for businesses and 
policymakers in dealing with consumer privacy issues.

Publication type: Report 
Publisher Type: APO Member, Government or Gov agency 
Coverage: Australia  Permanent URL: http://www.apo.org.au/node/24534 

--

Cheers,
Stephen



More information about the Link mailing list