Australia: Privacy Protection

Two young men face criminal charges after allegedly accessing confidential Commonwealth Bank customer records without authorisation, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's banking details. The case highlights how everyday employees with legitimate system access can face serious criminal penalties under NSW privacy laws, even when sophisticated hacking tools aren't involved.

You must consider privacy responsibilities if your business collects personal information. Importantly, this includes ensuring that you do not disclose any inaccurate personal information to third-parties.

As electric vehicles and connected car technologies become increasingly prevalent in commercial and everyday use, they generate unprecedented volumes of data about driver behaviour, location patterns and personal activities. With approximately 80% of EVs sold in Australia manufactured in China, questions surrounding data privacy, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential surveillance risks are emerging as critical concerns for businesses and individuals alike. This analysis examines the complex intersecti

NDIS providers in Australia are subject to strict privacy obligations under both the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the NDIS Practice Standards, requiring robust handling of participants’ sensitive personal information.

AI service agreements in Australia should clearly define the scope of AI services, ownership of outputs, and liability for errors or unexpected results.

The IPOLA Act reforms Qld information laws, requiring agencies to prepare for new privacy and data breach obligations.

Reporting entities are already familiar with the real challenges that can arise when seeking to meet their customer due diligence and ML/TF risk management obligations without engaging in "tipping off".

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) generate and transmit large volumes of data to interpret their surroundings and communicate with other vehicles and infrastructure.

Businesses should conduct regular stocktakes of their privacy risk exposure, and ensure their policies, controls, and systems are tailored appropriately to that level of risk.