The Optus, Medibank and MedLab data breaches have caused some re-thinking. But not all of the thinking is clear enough. It’s being touted that there’s a simple solution to driver licence data being compromised. That solution is said to be the addition of a card-number.
Organisations have to understand that the critical issue is: The retention of authentication-data in databases creates an unmanageable vulnerability. Read More
APF releases 2022 Federal Election Scorecard
In April 2022, we asked political parties where they stood on a set of important privacy priorities for the federal election. This scorecard shows their level of support for these privacy principles.
(Updated May 19th) Read More
MEDIA RELEASE: “Our” ABC iView mandatory login requirement – unnecessary and linked to export to data aggregators?
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
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
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
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
Open letter: Australian Border Force warrant-less seizure of comms
The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) is alarmed by the ongoing privacy incursions enabled by Government legislation reported in the media this week, stating that returning Australian travellers were asked to write their passcodes on paper before a Border Force official seized their smartphones and disappeared with these for around 30 minutes without a warrant.
Read More