The ACCC’s recommendation in its digital inquiry report for a statutory cause of action for serious invasions of privacy has merit as a mechanism to safeguard individual’s privacy where it is not protected by the Privacy Act or the patchwork of surveillance and related legislation. But it remains to be seen whether there will be any greater governmental impetus than on previous occasions to make the legislative changes required, writes Gilbert + Tobin partner Melissa Fai and lawyer Stephanie Essey.
A judge has ruled that a former executive of cyber security firm Secure Logic Group, who took advice from a lawyer to destroy the contents of a personal computer that allegedly contained confidential infomation from the company, has waived legal professional privilege over the communication.
The government has thrown its weight behind the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s call for checking the power of Facebook and Google, in a long-awaited final report that recommends a sweep of measures to crack down on the digital giants, and extend well beyond them.
The Commonwealth Bank must overhaul its privacy practices as part of a court-enforceable undertaking with the Australian Information Commissioner following two data breaches.
Customer credit card information and other personal details may have been stolen during a breach of Kathmandu’s online system, the outdoor clothing retailer has revealed.
Clifford Chance has been targeted by a phishing scam in which fraudsters sent emails purportedly from the global law firm to mislead clients into paying fraudulent bills, and at least one client was duped into paying a substantial amount of phony fees.
A contractor for wealth manager AMP who was arrested while trying to flee the country has pleaded guilty to stealing customer data.
Google has been hit with a €50 million ($79.5 million) fine by the French data protection watchdog, the largest penalty by a regulator under Europe’s beefed up privacy laws that came into effect last year.
A telemarketer that generates leads for other businesses has been hit with a $285,600 fine for failing to check the Do Not Call Register before picking up the phone.
Telecommunications giant Optus has won court approval to access employee documents in order to pinpoint the location of a suspected fraudster who obtained over 3,400 Optus mobile devices.