On April 23, the APF wrote again to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), asking when we might expect a response to an open letter sent to them back in March responding to their letter asking us about APF concerns re the mandatory registration system. Read More
MEDIA RELEASE: Federal Election Platform Principles 2022
APF draws attention to privacy issues in submissions to parliaments, regulators, and agencies. But all too often the response is creeping intrusion, feeble protection, and flimsy promises of ‘trust us, your data is safe’. People in Australia will only trust and have confidence in government and business collecting, storing, and using their vulnerable personal information if it is done in trust-worthy privacy-enhancing systems, covered by strong laws with minimal exemptions, and with easy enforcement when things go wrong – not the mess of loopholes, exceptions, back-door tricks and ‘wet lettuce-leaf’ indirect enforcement we have under current law. Read More
Dr Juanita Fernando discusses Victoria’s Health Legislation Amendment with 3RRR Melbourne’s Amy Mullins
Dr Juanita Fernando, Chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation’s Health Committee, joined Amy Mullins on 3RRR Melbourne’s Uncommon Sense program this week to discusses the Victorian Government’s concerning plans to share every Victorian’s patient data in a centralised health database with no way for individuals to opt-out. Read More
Ita Buttrose’s response to our open letter on mandatory registration for use of ABC iView services, and our reply
On March 2nd, the Australian Privacy Foundation released an open letter addressed to ABC Chair Ita Buttrose, regarding mandatory registration for use of ABC iView services. Ita Buttrose responded this past week in a letter dated March 8th. Our response addresses each of the factors Ita raised in her reply, and explains why we in the APF believe there is still no justification for not permitting those Australians unwilling or unable to register to simply continue to enjoy access to their ABC via iView without registration. Read More
Open letter: Mandatory registration for use of ABC iView services
This open letter is to raise our concerns and objections to proposals for mandatory registration for Australians to use ABC online services from March 2022. The proposal is unnecessary, intrusive, inconsistent with community expectations of protection from online tracking, a potential security or safety threat, and breaches the right not to have to identify yourself offered by Australian Privacy Principle 2 (APP 2). It should not go ahead. Read More
Mandatory logins for ABC iview could open an intimate window onto your life
Last week, the ABC announced it will begin to track the viewing habits of all users of its iview streaming platform from March 15. This will be done by making users create an account and log in to watch shows and “benefit from the next stage of personalised services” such as “program recommendations [and] watchlists”. The change was initially planned for the middle of last year, but was delayed after heavy criticism from privacy experts and others over the proposed arrangements for sharing and recording data. One point of contention was the ABC’s plans to share viewer data with Facebook and Google. The ABC says “significant work has been undertaken in providing effective privacy controls” during this delay. But nevertheless, critics maintain the new provisions still involve sharing using data without full consent. Read More
Strip searches in prison are traumatising breaches of human rights. So, why are governments still allowing them?
In December, the Victorian Court of Appeal found certain routine strip searches in prison breach human rights to privacy and dignity in detention. The decision highlights how traumatising, unnecessary and degrading the routine practice of strip searching people can be. The Victorian Court of Appeal case is an opportunity for real systemic reform. The Victorian government must now decide whether it will maintain this violent practice. Read More
MEDIA RELEASE: Civil Society Submission to Surveillance Law Reform
The Australian Privacy Foundation, Queensland Council of Civil Liberties and Liberty Victoria have made a detailed submission to the Reform of Australia’s electronic surveillance framework discussion paper.
We recognise the importance of ensuring security of Australians’ and their freedoms. The rationale for national security law comes from the importance of ensuring that freedoms are protected. We are concerned to ensure that the ‘forest isn’t lost for the trees’ in this reform process and that the guiding and predominant principle in this reform is that our national security framework serves to protect the freedoms that ought to be enjoyed by all Australians. Read More
Electronic surveillance law review won’t stop Border Force’s warrantless phone snooping
Australia’s electronic surveillance laws are being reformed with a goal of making them “clearer, more coherent and better adapted to the modern world”. However, there is one significant set of powers beyond the scope of the reforms: the Australian Border Force’s (ABF) broad powers to search personal digital devices and copy electronic information without a warrant. One man who had his phone searched by the ABF on entering the country recently told The Guardian he had “no idea what officials looked at, whether a copy of any of the data was made, where it would be stored and who would have access to it”. The surveillance reform aims to deliver better protection of individuals’ information and ensure law enforcement agencies have the powers to investigate serious crimes and threats to security. So why has the privacy of travellers and migrants who cross Australia’s border been left so exposed? Read More
Govt ‘steamrolling’ ahead with facial recognition plan
Despite the necessary legislation not having been passed, the federal government is “streamrolling” ahead with its plan to launch a national facial recognition database and is already on the hunt for a private provider to build out the new services. The Department of Home Affairs last week approached the market for a provider to deliver identity matching services, including to host the new National Driver Licence Facial Recognition Solution (NDLFRS). This database, incorporating drivers licence photos from state and territory governments, has been launched but is not yet in operation because the necessary legislation has still not passed through Parliament. The move to issue a tender for this week, before the legislation has been passed, has been criticised by privacy advocates as putting the cart before the horse, with calls for a moratorium on facial recognition technology until better privacy precautions are in place. Read More