The Federal government could be on the hook for millions in compensation to almost 1,300 asylum seekers following a ruling by the Privacy Commissioner that the government interfered with refugee privacy by publicly disclosing personal information, the first finding in a representative action that individuals affected by a data breach are entitled to compensation for non-economic loss.
Online retailer Kogan has been fined $310,800 for sending marketing emails to more than 42 million consumers without an easy way to unsubscribe, in violation of spam laws.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has been sued for conspiracy to misuse private information and bank account details in an unfair dismissal case brought by the director and former employee of a Melbourne financial services provider.
The Attorney-General’s office has begun its review into whether the Privacy Act is fit for the digital age, including whether the law should be changed to allow consumers to bring lawsuits, including class actions, for privacy breaches.
Mosaic Brands has taken the Australian Communications and Media Authority to court, alleging a request for documents based on suspected Spam Act violations is invalid.
Google has rejected claims by the ACCC that it tricked consumers into agreeing to expanded collection of their personal data, saying that it instead sought “explicit consent” from users through an “easy-to-understand opt-in consent mechanism”.
Facebook will press on with its argument that it can’t be sued in Australia by the country’s privacy commissioner for alleged disclosure of users’ personal data, after a judge found there was enough evidence the social media giant conducted business in the country by installing and operating cookies on the devices of Australia users.
Facebook’s argument that it can’t be sued by the privacy commissioner in Australia has fallen flat, with a judge rejecting the social media giant’s application to dismiss enforcement action brought in March over the disclosure of users’ personal data.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has launched proceedings against a subsidiary of wealth manager IOOF over its alleged failure to have adequate cyber security systems in place.
The ACCC has launched court proceedings against Google, accusing the search engine giant of duping millions of Australians into agreeing to expand the scope of personal information that could be collected and combined for use in targeted advertising.