We are all too familiar with the growing number of data breaches in both Australia and abroad. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recently issued its Notifiable Data Breaches Report (Report) for June 2023 to December 2023, revealing some concerning findings.

Smart contracts are programs stored on a blockchain that self-execute when predetermined conditions are met.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) defines a cyber incident as an unwanted or unexpected cyber security event, or a series of such events, that have a significant probability of compromising business operations.

The Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) (Act) came into effect on 23 January 2022. The Act aims to develop the existing regulatory framework and vest the eSafety Commissioner with greater investigative and enforcement powers.

Facial recognition technology (FRT) is now utilised across many industries and businesses. While FRT is becoming increasingly easier to implement, it is crucial that business’s adhere to privacy laws when using this technology.

To help you determine if your business legally requires a privacy policy under the Privacy Act, we have developed a simple flow chart for you to follow. If the answer is yes to any of the questions in the chart, a privacy policy should be prepared to ensure your business is not subject to penalties for non-compliance with the Privacy Act.

Schools collect and receive personal and sensitive information on a daily basis. What are the legal requirements for managing and using this data? Much of the personal and sensitive information collected by schools is, of course, essential to their day-to-day running.

The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) requires organisations to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that all Personal Information held is secure and protected from misuse, interference, loss and disclosure.

On 12 March 2014, significant changes to the Privacy Act 1988 took effect that included the introduction of a more comprehensive credit reporting system, and the introduction of a set of Australian Privacy Principles, which set out the standards, rights and obligations in relation to the collecting, handling, holding, access and correction of personal information.

As you would appreciate from our previous alerts regarding the reform of the Privacy Act (Cth) 1988, the two major aspects of the reform involved:

1. the introduction of the Australian Privacy Principals; and
2. the reworking of the Australian credit reporting system.

on 12 March 2014, significant changes to the Privacy Act 1988 took effect. The changes included:

1. the introduction of a more comprehensive credit reporting system; and2.            
2. the introduction of a set of Australian Privacy Principles, which set out the standards, rights and obligations in relation to the collecting, handling, holding, access and correction of personal information.