Hello, privacy pros.

This week's Asia-Pacific Digest includes privacy news that is refreshingly almost as free from COVID-19 as New Zealand, but not quite.

Speaking of the pandemic-free oasis across the Tasman Sea, an update from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand sheds light on the prospect of New Zealand's new Privacy Act taking effect 1 Dec. The new law provides for mandatory breach notification, as well as a host of new enforcement tools for the OPC.

The National Privacy Commission of the Philippines issued and updated an FAQ describing how employers may use software to monitor employees who are working from home. The guidance explains that such monitoring must be disclosed to employees and implemented through clear policies. Further, the monitoring must be necessary and proportionate to its objective. In other Filipino privacy news, the NPC is investigating reports of fake Facebook accounts being created in the names of data subjects. The reports come largely from academic institutions.

An article from Kim Arin of The Korea Herald provides a thoughtful look at how South Korea is evolving its approach to COVID-19 contact tracing to include the mandatory scanning of QR codes when entering certain venues. The article brings in a diverse set of viewpoints and data for a thoughtful discussion on the trade-offs between safety and privacy in these extraordinary times.

Here in Australia, Alec Christie and James Wong walk through the Compliance and Enforcement Policy for the Consumer Data Right, jointly published by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The regulators say they will take a risk-based approach to enforcement, prioritizing actions that "provide the 'greatest overall benefit to consumers.'" The article also walks through practices that the regulators refer to as "priority conduct" and are more likely to prompt regulatory intervention, as well as the tools at each regulator's respective disposal.

Finally, I look forward to attending a webinar 16 June hosted by Security.ai that has secured a fantastic mix of global tech innovators and Australian and New Zealand privacy leaders to discuss the implications and considerations of innovations that may shape businesses in a post-pandemic world.  I hope to see you (virtually) there.

Stay well until next time!