International Human Rights Day 2018
Every year on 10 December, Human Rights Day is celebrated globally. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, first adopted in Paris in 1948. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration as a…
Event recap: iappANZ 2018 Summit
From left to right: Sven Bluemmel, Angelene Falk, John Edwards, Richard Bean (moderator) Earlier this month, on 1 November 2018, the International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) hosted the iappANZ Summit 2018 in Melbourne. The Summit explored emerging trends…
Event recap – Public Forum ‘Freedom of Information in Australia: Towards Best Practice or Insignificance?’
In the week leading up to International Right to Know Day (celebrated on 28 September), the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) participated in a number of events to celebrate and promote individuals’ right to access government-held information. One…
Event recap: Consent public forum
2018 has been a big year for privacy, both internationally and here in Australia. The flurry of emails that we all received asking us to agree to new privacy policies and terms and conditions following the introduction of the General…
Constructive approaches to conciliations at OVIC
Recently at OVIC we’ve been thinking about what makes for a good conciliation. No two conciliations are the same, and the flexibility of the process is one of the main benefits that it offers. However, all good conciliations have some…
Now you track me, now you don’t
Online tracking is a common practice, and it is something most of us are aware of and likely accept, albeit perhaps grudgingly. Some organisations may track users online in order to gain insight into how their websites are used, with…
Privacy-enhancing information sharing: Practical tips from the Commissioner
Information sharing has been a significant issue for the Victorian public sector over the past few years. We have recently seen a number of new laws and programs implemented to enable easier, more efficient information sharing across government, such as…
Artificial intelligence and privacy issues paper
There is little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic, and increasingly so with every new AI technology or application that makes its debut into the world. For the most part, the public’s interaction or experience with AI…
The EU General Data Protection Regulation: Changing privacy law landscape
Today marks the enforcement day of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR significantly changes the privacy law landscape, implementing strict, prescriptive obligations for data controllers and processers, both in the EU and extra-territorially. The GDPR modernises privacy…
Event recap: Privacy debate
On Friday 11 May 2018, as the grand finale to Privacy Awareness Week, the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) held its second public forum for the year in the form a debate. The topic for the debate was,…