The Australian Attorney-General's Department released its highly anticipated review of the Privacy Act 1988 Thursday, a significant step in the reform of the nation's privacy law. The Privacy Act Review Report includes 116 recommendations based on 30 "key themes and proposals" from stakeholders during the course of the last two years. "The proposed reforms are aimed at strengthening the protection of personal information and the control individuals have over their information. Stronger privacy ... Read More

Brilliantly funny Aussie comedian Wil Anderson, of Gruen Transfer fame, wrote in his gut-splitting book "I Am Not Fine, Thanks" an incredibly insightful comment about the trade-offs between privacy, smart devices and other technological marvels. In his book Anderson writes about his initial resistance to technology companies wangling their way inside our homes with connected tech. "I was already not the smartest thing in my house, and I don't need to keep demoting myself down the ladder," he sai... Read More

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand published its “December 2021 Insights Report – Privacy Breach Reporting,” one year after implementation of the Privacy Act 2020. According to the report, reported privacy breaches increased nearly four times from Dec. 1, 2020 to Oct. 31, 2021, following mandatory reporting requirements. The OPC said one third of reported breaches met the threshold for serious harm, 35% involving emotional harm, 14% reputational harm, and 11% financial harm. T... Read More