The House of Representatives has approved sweeping changes to the Privacy Act, following a parliamentary report recommending such action. Attorney General Nicola Roxon said the changes would “give power back to consumers over the way in which organisations used their personal information,” The Australian reports. The bill would increase the privacy commissioner’s powers, giving the office the ability to hand down civil penalties for privacy violations--up to $220,000 for individuals and $1.1. million for companies. The Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs noted concern that the changes will cause confusion, the report states.
Full Story