Parliament is reviewing legislation that would allow the federal privacy commissioner to apply to the federal court to levy fines on individuals and organisations for privacy breaches, reports The Australian. Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said it means he could require companies to fix systems and pay for regular privacy audits. He believes “they will start to take their responsibilities around protecting information a lot more seriously once those powers are passed." One lawyer says companies that collect personal information as part of their business model may be nervous about the legislation, adding, those that can’t provide “informed consent” risk breaching privacy principles. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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