CHOICE welcomes the Federal Government's announcement today that it will modernise the Privacy Act for a digital age and improve protections for consumers.
"CHOICE is pleased to see the government taking action to improve Australia's outdated privacy laws, which have long lagged behind the pace of technology, leaving consumers vulnerable to data breaches, invasive tracking, and online manipulation," says CHOICE Senior Campaigns and Policy Advisor, Rafi Alam.
"We're happy to see the government commit to increasing powers for the OAIC. This would give our privacy regulator similar enforcement tools to the ACCC and ASIC. Businesses who breach privacy laws should be held accountable in the same way as businesses who breach consumer and financial services laws," says Alam.
"CHOICE also looks forward to engaging with the Federal Government on implementing other urgent reforms such as the fair and reasonable use test. This change would require businesses to only collect, handle and store data in line with customer expectations, reducing the risk of major data breaches that have already harmed millions of people across the country," says Alam.
"Research conducted by CHOICE in June 2023 found only 12% of consumers trusted businesses were collecting data about them responsibly and in their interest. The community urgently wants and needs stronger privacy protections, and we urge the government to implement its plans to strengthen Australia's privacy laws as a priority," says Alam.
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