The latest Notifiable data breaches report was released last week, highlighting the need for organisations to strengthen data security and promptly respond to suspected breaches. The Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said that ‘OAIC expects organisations to have robust and proactive procedures in place to protect the personal information they hold.’ The January to June 2023 period saw 409 data breaches reported to the OAIC. While that was a 16% decrease in the number of notifications compared to the previous period, there was one breach that affected more than 10 million Australians. This is the first breach of this scale for Australians since the scheme began in 2018. Cybersecurity incidents were the source of 42% of all breaches (172 notifications). The top three cyber-attack methods were ransomware (53 notifications), compromised or stolen credentials for which the method was unknown (50 notifications) and phishing (33 notifications). Contact, identity and financial information […]
Australians deserve tech that protects their rights
A new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission calls for far-reaching changes to ensure government, companies and others safeguard human rights in the design, development and use of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
The Human Rights and Technology Final Report makes 38 recommendations to ensure human rights are upheld in Australia’s laws, policies, funding and education on AI. This includes the recommendation to modernise Australia’s regulatory system to ensure AI-informed decision making is lawful, transparent, explainable, responsible and subject to appropriate human oversight, review and intervention. Stronger laws are recommended to protect the community from misuse of facial recognition and other biometric technology.
The Report recommends the creation of a new AI Safety Commissioner to help lead Australia’s transition to an AI-powered world. It is envisaged that this new regulatory body would be a key source of expertise on AI, providing guidance to governments and the private sector, and providing independent advice to policymakers and Parliament.
You can read the Human Rights and Technology Final Report and find out more about the project at tech.humanrights.gov.au