The 

Privacy Act 1988: Time for Government to do More; 83% of

Australians want Stronger Privacy Laws
 Australia’s Federal Attorney-General, Christian Porter summons for submission of
the review of the federal Privacy Act 1988.
 The large-scale review of privacy law is conducted to empower the public and
corporate sector to share their opinion in protecting user data.
 The deadline to submit the issues paper on 29 Nov. 2020.

On December 12, 2019, the Government of Australia took a bold initiative to

conduct a comprehensive review of the Privacy Act 1988. As part of the
government's response to the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission's Digital Platforms Inquiry.
The Australian government wanted to take all the stakeholders on board after
the entire country has been facing a wave of cybercrime attacks for over a year
now. The review of privacy laws on such big-scale is happening for the first
time since the Australian Law Reform Commission produced a landmark
report in 2008.
The reviews from public are as important as any other member from cabinet or
law enforcing bodies. The government wants to ensure privacy laws empower
the corporate sector and consumers to safeguard their data and help in the
growth of country’s economy.
The government is now accepting the issues paper as the deadline comes
closer (Nov. 29, 2020).

What does privacy mean to Australians?

The evolving technology has also brought some serious problems alongside it,
and in the digital world, cybercrime remains a big threat to users’ personal
data.
In the past, Australian government was reluctant to make changes to the
privacy laws and design a stronger privacy framework. Now, the review policy
will help in deriving improved data protection rules as of international
standard.
The Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2020, shows piracy as a
major concern for 70% of Australians in 2020. Around 9 out of 10 want more
choice and control over their personal information.
In the world of technology, personal information plays a pivotal role in the
society and especially corporate world.
The commissioner in a statement in the survey report said:
“Compared to 2017, when the survey was last conducted, Australians are more
likely to view identity theft and fraud as the biggest risks to privacy, along with
data security and data breaches.”
A majority of 83% Australians insisted the government to do more for
protecting the privacy of their data.
Australians are more likely to trust a website or service if they have read the
privacy policy. However, only 20% read privacy policies and are confident they
understand them. The public demands privacy policies that are easier to
understand, and feature standard, simple language (87%), a plain English
summary (86%), and use of icons as visual prompts (73%).
Earlier this year, public was highly involved in the all-anticipated COVIDSafe
app which shows that how much deeply Australians care about their private
information.
The cybercrimes have increased during the pandemic and it has left many
Australians vulnerable. For instance, a recent phishing scam is targeting Netflix
customers across Australia.
What the Australian government is doing is the need of the hour, and the
information from the reviews will help the government to address the
concerns of the people.

Main Findings
The Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2020 has reported some
breathtaking figures, and a large number of 70% people consider their
personal information as the major concern of their life.
Some of the biggest privacy risks pointed by Australians in 2020 are:
 76% people reported fraud and theft
 61% reported data security infringements
 58% reported social media crimes
 49% reported smartphone application vulnerabilities
In addition, 59% of Australians were not happy with how their personal
information was handled during the last 12-months.
Overall, a lager number of people have shown serious concerns regarding
digital crimes and data security breachers.
The cybercrime threats and privacy issues seem to be everlasting for
Australians unless we see some strong and competitive changes in privacy
laws. Hiding your IP addresses and encrypting the internet traffic is a must-do
thing. Here is a list of top 10 best VPN services to use in 2020.