The Australian Privacy Foundation (“APF”), along with the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties (“QCCL”) and Electronic Frontiers Australia (“EFA”) have made a submission in response to the Human Rights and Technology Issues Paper released in July 2018. The rapid development of technology in the Australia human rights context requires careful consideration as technology can be… Read More

Monique Mann, Queensland University of Technology The Australian government has released a draft of its long awaited bill to provide law enforcement and security agencies with new powers to respond to the challenges posed by encryption. According to the Department of Home Affairs, encryption already impacts 90% of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s (ASIO) priority cases,… Read More

The Australian Privacy Foundation has prepared a background brief on all the privacy omnishambles at the request of the UN Special Rapporteur on Privacy Professor Joseph Cannataci. This request arose following a meeting of civil society representatives in Sydney in late July 2018, where issues of privacy in Australia were discussed. In the brief, we… Read More

This is a copy of a paper produced by the Parliamentary Library.It has been removed from the Library’s website. This is taken from a cached copy available on Google:Law enforcement access to My Health Record dataPosted 23/07/2018 by Nigel BrewParliamentary LibraryMy Health Record (MHR) was introduced in June 2012 by the Gillard Labor Government originally… Read More

Whatever arguments are put up for and against My Health Record and the current push to make it opt-out, there are two inescapable facts: 1. My Health Record is a Federal Government owned, controlled and operated information system. The government collects your health data, never deletes it and will keep it for at least 30… Read More

Today, the Australian Privacy Foundation joins with Electronic Frontiers Australia, Digital Rights Watch, Future Wise, and other domestic and international human rights organisations in asking the Australian government to not pursue legislation undermining encryption, and other tools, policies and technologies critical to protecting individual rights. The 76 organisations, companies, and individuals signatory to this open letter call on government officials to become proponents of digital security and work collaboratively to help law enforcement adapt to the digital era.

This letter was been initiated by global digital rights organisation Access Now. “Australia is facing a choice on cybersecurity and encryption: real security or false,” said Nathan White, Senior Legislative Manager at Access Now. “The country can either be the testing ground for policies that undermine privacy and security in the digital era, or it can be a champion for human rights, leveraging its relationships to raise cybersecurity standards for the next generation. The world is watching.”