Notes from the Asia-Pacific region, 11 Sept. 2020

Hello, privacy pros.

According to this article from The Verge, Apple is delaying the enforcement of a new privacy control that was set to be introduced in its forthcoming iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. The control was originally announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June, along with new requirements for developers to provide greater transparency over the personal information apps collect and use. Apple has indicated that the extended compliance period will give developers more time to plan for the new control that will prompt individuals before providing apps with access to a unique ID that can be used to gather data and track activity across multiple apps and websites on Apple's mobile devices.

Australia's most populous state of New South Wales was in the news this week with ABC reporting that Transport for NSW revealed that a trove of NSW driver's license details was discovered by a security consultant in an open cloud storage folder. The folder contained approximately 54,000 licenses. Also in NSW, the state's one-stop shop for access to government services, Service NSW, disclosed the results of its four-month investigation into a cyberattack earlier this year that led to the theft of personal information of approximately 186,000 customers.

In case you missed it, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner published its Corporate Plan for 2020–21, setting out its strategic priorities for the next year. The report reflects the OAIC's support of the Australian government's review of the Privacy Act, and Commissioner Angelene Falk indicated that her office's "focus on personal information security will be reflected in our compliance and enforcement activities."

ABC reports that a new partnership between New Zealand power company Vector and Amazon will result in the collection, analysis and sale of data from 1.6 million smart meters across Australia and New Zealand. The companies involved insist that data is anonymized and the services they look to offer from the data will benefit consumers, but privacy advocates have questioned the identifiability of the data and consumer advocates are seeking greater transparency over how the data will be used.

Outside of the Australia/New Zealand region, the Philippine National Police has faced questions over its use of social media to catch and identify people violating rules on mass gatherings as part of its pandemic response. Critics have accused the PNP of using the pandemic to turn the Philippines into a police state, but the PNP assured citizens that its use would be limited to public posts, those that go viral and those that relate to complaints made directly to the police.

Finally, mark your calendars for 17 Sept., and register to join our virtual KnowledgeNet to discuss New Zealand's new Privacy Act 2020, which comes into effect in December of this year. This is sure to be a lively and substantive discussion with New Zealand Privacy Commissioner John Edwards and IAPP NZ Country Leader Daimhin Warner. To top it off, it will be moderated by CBA Executive Manager of Privacy Karen Guerinoni. With these three informed and energetic privacy professionals, I am personally extending a 100% money-back guarantee if you aren't both informed and entertained. Registration is required, but attendance is free. I hope to see you virtually there!