OAIC prepares for Privacy Awareness Week

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has launched a new website and is planning a series of events to mark this year’s Privacy Awareness Week.

The new site details the events that will take place throughout the period, which will take place from 15–21 May.

Events will include an appearance by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy, Professor Joseph Cannataci, at the OAIC’s annual PAW Business Breakfast. The OAIC has also started taking registrations for companies seeking to become a PAW partner.

Privacy is also set to be on the agenda at CeBIT 2016, which is taking place next week at Sydney Olympic Park. Acting Australian Information Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim will deliver a keynote address on de-identification and privacy.

De-identification is the process of stripping personally identifying information from datasets used for big data analytics.

“When done correctly, de-identified information is no longer personal information and is therefore outside the scope of the Privacy Act. At first glance then, it has the potential to solve the privacy dimensions of data analytics — to be the privacy key to our big data moon shots,” Pilgrim wrote in a blog post.

“But don’t rush to your launch pads yet, because like the rocket science of the 1960s, de-identification is a concept anyone can get, but not anyone can deliver. It is far more complicated than removing names or postcodes, and — like in space flight — the risks of getting it wrong can be substantial and very public.”

The OAIC is meanwhile in the process of establishing two networks of companies and networks centred around privacy.

The office is currently selecting applicants for the Consumer Privacy Network, a network of organisations representing consumer interests, and soon plans to establish a Privacy Professionals Network that will bring together public and private sector privacy professionals.

Finally, the OAIC has released a new guide designed to help organisations develop a clear data breach response plan and is seeking comments on a draft guide to help start-ups manage privacy risks in the early stage of their businesses.

Image courtesy of Michael under CC