Region: Australia
Australian government to review privacy framework
Australia’s government plans to introduce stricter privacy legislation by 2021 – supporting a regulator’s recommendation for higher penalties, broader definitions of personal data and strengthened consent requirements.
17 December 2019
Australian enforcer sceptical about Google/Fitbit and Calibra commitments
The head of Australia’s antitrust watchdog has expressed doubts about data-related promises Google has made during its acquisition of Fitbit – as well as Facebook statements about its use of personal data in the rollout of its Calibra cryptocurrency wallet.
19 November 2019
Former Baker McKenzie partner forms boutique
A former privacy partner in Baker McKenzie’s Sydney office has started his own firm.
06 November 2019
Australian competition regulator sues Google over location data
Australia’s competition and consumer protection watchdog claims Google misled Android users about its collection and use of location data – exposing the company to potentially harsher financial penalties than under the country’s privacy regime.
30 October 2019
US attorney general joins call for Facebook to curtail encryption programme
Top government officials from the US, UK, and Australia have urged Facebook to end its plans to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services – unless the company includes a means by which law enforcers can break that encryption.
07 October 2019
Australia proposes data-sharing bill to help fight fraud
Australia’s Department of Health has launched a public consultation on a new bill that would expand existing data matching and sharing agreements to help detect fraudulent or incorrect healthcare claims.
24 September 2019
Facebook slams Australian digital platforms report
Facebook has attacked many of the conclusions in the Australian competition regulator’s report on digital platforms, calling some aspects of the report “inaccurate” and accusing the watchdog of conflating the Facebook and Google business models.
16 September 2019
Ashurst bolsters corporate digital economy practice in Australia
Ashurst has hired digital economy specialist Andrew Craig as a Melbourne corporate partner.
16 September 2019
Glencore loses Paradise Papers privilege claim
Australia’s highest court has thrown out Glencore’s attempt to block the country’s tax authority from analysing Paradise Papers documents.
15 August 2019
Australian platform faces regulatory action over data sales
Australia’s consumer protection regulator has accused the country’s largest online health booking platform of failing to disclose that it sent customer data to insurance brokers.
08 August 2019