The International Association of Privacy Professionals - Australia and New Zealand is a community of privacy professionals eager to meet, share and learn. It’s the place to engage with a regional and global network of people who are the privacy community. More than just a professional association, iappANZ provides a home for privacy professionals to learn and enrich their careers and share experiences. More about iappANZ
CRN reports on comments from security and technology leaders at top Australian organisations during a recent SC and ITnews roundtable on the impact of mandatory data breach notification. “Plans for a data breach notification scheme were shared with a small number of stakeholders as the Exposure Draft Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013, obtained by SC,” the report states, noting the roundtable’s participants “say the impact of a mandatory data breach reporting scheme on businesses will largely depend on what the federal government determines are 'reasonable' security controls.” Full Story
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is investigating a complaint about the refusal of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) “to tell an activist whether she had been under illegal surveillance,” Radio New Zealand reports. Political activist Valerie Morse, who is considering legal action, has asked the GCSB whether she had been monitored but was told that the GCSB “would not confirm or deny anything,” the report states. While it is not legal for the bureau to spy on New Zealanders at this time, Parliament is considering legislation that could change that. Full Story
Following breach reports earlier this year, The Age reports on one Internet user finding nearly 10,000 Telstra customers’ personal details online. The individual “contacted Fairfax Media about the information being freely accessible to anyone online after conducting a specific Google search that turned up Telstra spreadsheets,” the report states. The company is investigating the incident, and Telstra’s Peter Jamieson said the information should not have been public, adding, “This is unacceptable. We take very seriously the confidentiality of our customers' information and we will take all steps to ensure we protect that information.” Full Story
The New Zealand Herald reports that while the Automobile Association and police are welcoming the use of automatic number-plate recognition technology for safety and crime-fighting, civil liberties lawyers are concerned. The technology has helped police locate “15 stolen vehicles, take 180 disqualified drivers off the road and recover other stolen goods from a number of offenders,” the report states, “But lawyers fear innocent people…may be caught in widespread surveillance that could expand to tracking their movements to build profiles of people of interest.” The Privacy Commission has cautioned the technology must be used "carefully," the report states. Full Story
