The ABC is still promoting its now-mandatory ‘iView Login’ without dealing with unresolved questions, particularly about adequate disclosure of their apparent intent to export individual-level, ineffectively de-identified iView account usage data to foreign third party commercial surveillance companies like Tealium, Google and Facebook. Read More
APF continues to engage with the ABC over mandatory iView registration
On May 11, the APF responded to the short letter we received on April 28 from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in reply to our last communication. APF believes a transparent dialogue on these issues surrounding mandatory registration for use of ABC iView online services is of national importance, and remains both deeply concerned and frustrated with the ABC’s lack of consultation on key issues which remain unresolved, particularly regarding disclosure of account-usage-related metadata to foreign commercial data aggregators. Read More
Still waiting for a reply from the ABC to our March open letter concerning mandatory registration for use of ABC iView online services
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
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
Why can’t Aunty get the ABCs of privacy right?
The ABC says it is “committed to protecting your privacy”. So why are they giving our data to Facebook and Google? The ABC Privacy Policy was updated in late 2021, to “reflect some changes to the way in which your information will be handled as we look to help Australians find more content likely to be of interest to them”. The changes include “disclosing hashed email addresses to Google and Facebook to show you promotions for ABC Content likely to be of interest to you on those platforms, unless you choose to opt out”. In other words, if you have an ABC Account (e.g. if you login to watch iview or use the ABC Listen app), you will be individually profiled and potentially targeted by Facebook or Google, based on information about you given to those companies by the ABC – unless you have first figured out this practice is going on and then activated your privacy settings to opt out. Read More
APF Newsletter – 4 May 2024
The Australian Privacy Foundation Newsletter of 4 May 2024 APF Board members continue their efforts to influence policy in privacy-sensitive ways. The load continues to be high, and we need more contributors. That way we can deepen, but also to diversify, the insights that we bring to environmental scanning, evidence-gathering, analysis and the presentation of… Read More
APF Newsletter – 4 May 2024
The Australian Privacy Foundation Newsletter of 4 May 2024 APF Board members continue their efforts to influence policy in privacy-sensitive ways. The load continues to be high, and we need more contributors. That way we can deepen, but also to diversify, the insights that we bring to environmental scanning, evidence-gathering, analysis and the presentation of… Read More
Digital ‘death knocks’: is it fair game for journalists to mine social media profiles of victims and their families?
Alysson Watson, Associate lecturer in journalism, University of Newcastle The family of Ash Good, one of the Bondi stabbing victims and the mother of the nine-month-baby who was also stabbed, issued a plea overnight for media to stop reproducing photos of Ash, her partner and their baby without consent. Good, 38, was an osteopath who… Read More