Data & Infonomics

This year’s Solomon Lecture presented by the Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner featured Professor Beth Simone Noveck on ‘Solving Public Problems with Data’. Professor Noveck’s lecture explores how traditionally, the right to know is rooted in the belief that members of the public should know what their government does in order to hold the government to account, lessen the risk of corruption and shine a light on wasteful and inefficient operations. Beth Simone Noveck discusses how a focus on public problem solving and improving people’s lives changes how we think about data. She discusses specific policy prescriptions for creating a right to know that fosters better government, stronger citizenship and more agile solutions to contemporary challenges. Watch the Solomon Lecture here.

The World Economic Forum published Pathways to Digital Justice report to address systemic legal and judicial gaps, and help guide law and policy efforts towards combating data-driven harms. This is particularly important with the increase in online activities and digitization of services, which – when misused – can present new types of risk. The white paper, produced in collaboration with an advisory committee consisting of experts from around the world, is intended to guide policy efforts towards combating data-driven harms. The hope is that legal and judicial systems can then evolve to embed redress mechanisms that enable the creation of a data ecosystem which protects individuals and is accountable to them. Read the World Economic Forum statement here or the report.

  The draft Data Availability and Transparency Bill aims to modernise and streamline the sharing of government data between agencies and with the private and research sectors. Under the legislation, data will be shared for three purposes: government services delivery, informing government policy and programs, and research and development.  The Consultation Paper contains a simplified summary of the legislative package. Submissions made by a group of multidisciplinary practitioners and academics highlight privacy and governance concerns.  These include the override of Australia Privacy Principle (APP) 6 and the inherent conflict of National Data Commissioner whose mandate is to encourage data sharing with the enforcement of the regulation.  The submission recommends that governance and assurance be regulated the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner.  You can read the submission here.

The increasing adoption of technology requires the preservation, assurance and assertion of information access rights. To achieve these outcomes, government licensing and contractual arrangements should ensure accessibility and ‘explainability’ in the provision of government services and decision making. The issue of algorithmic transparency of a government agency’s contractor is currently before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The Agency provided some information to the Applicant but decided that other information is not held by the Agency as it is held by the Contractor and remains its intellectual property. The GIPA Act provides a right to access information held in a record of an NSW Government agency and that right may also apply to information held by contractors providing services to the public. The NSW IPC has published guidance for agencies under section 121 of the GIPA Act, including a template clause for agencies to include in contracts with third parties […]

This is the third in a series of papers and develops a practical solution providing a framework for privacy preserving data sharing, addressing technical challenges as well as data sharing issues more broadly. It builds on the 2018 ACS Report, Privacy in Data Sharing: A Guide for Business and Government, expanding the concept of a Personal Information Factor and introducing a Utility Factor with worked examples. Download the report here

  Infonomics is the discipline of valuing Information Assets and it is based on the idea that information is an enterprise asset that should be counted and managed.  This article explains why Infonomics is becoming increasingly important. Information Assets (data, information, published content and knowledge) are arguably an organisation’s most vital and strategic resource.  Providing the right data to the right people at the right time is critical to every business activity, every business process and every business decision.  Information Assets are the only ones that cannot be replaced if lost or destroyed.  They are foundational to all high-profile business solutions and technology enablement: to analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning; cyber-security; cloud computing; Blockchain and the Internet Of Things; and almost any form of innovation and disruption. Unlike other physical or even financial assets that can only be used once then are used-up, any Information Assets can be used […]

He taonga te tuakiri: āianei, haere ake nei New Zealand’s Identity Conference 2019 was the fourth in a series of conferences that began in 2008.  The conference was held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, on 26 and 27 August 2019.  The conference purpose or ‘big idea is to look at the identity-related problems of today and the solutions of tomorrow’.  Carol Feurriegel recounts some of the highlights from the conference.  “Identity is a complex and sensitive area. It reflects our sense of self and it is also at the heart of relationships between people and organisations. Our Identity is our taonga” to quote Professor Steve Warburton, in his keynote address as Chair of the Identity Conference 2019 on Monday 26thAugust. It is fitting that the premier event that takes a multi-disciplinary perspective on Identity is held at Te Papa Tongawera, Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. “Taonga” means ‘treasure’ in […]

  As we rapidly move toward a technology-driven, globally interconnected world, the exponential growth in data collected by business and government enables significant value to be derived from this resource. In December 2015, the Australian Government released its Australian Government Public Data Policy Statementas part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, recognising data as ‘a strategic national resource that holds considerable value for growing the economy, improving service delivery and transforming policy outcomes’. While there is the potential to derive enormous value from data, there is a fundamental requirement that data be secured, meaning both government and business must protect citizens’ and consumers’ personal information. Key to achieving the benefits of data optimisation and mitigating the inherent risks is governance. Good governance enables organisations to control data by securing, protecting, managing and optimising the value of data. Digital Continuity 2020 Policy Supporting the Australian Government’s digital transformation is the Digital Continuity […]

  Jacinda Ardern’s announcement of her intention to deliver New Zealand’s first ‘Wellbeing Budget’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January caused headlines as the world’s youngest female head of state outlined an approach to economic measurement that put people’s needs at the centre of the government investment agenda. Ardern said “politics needed to be more altruistic and more long term” to address the deep-rooted inequalities in New Zealand’s current economic outlook and to address the challenges emerging from issues such as climate change and automation. World leaders and economic institutions have been watching the ‘little country at the bottom of the world’ with great interest, as they embark on this experiment that could change the way governments develop social strategy and assess the effectiveness of their social policies. For many years institutions like the OECD have been encouraging economies to look beyond just economic measures of success and […]

Your company is entrusted with sensitive, personal data – that of your employees, customers, investors, and others. These individuals trust that you are protecting their privacy and managing that information to their expected standards. This trust is critical to the long-term success of your company. The question is: when a data breach happens, are you prepared?  A data breach involving personal information can put affected individuals at risk of personal and economic harm and, consequently, severely damage an organisation’s reputation. This year, more than one million Australians had their private data lost or stolen in just ONE data breach, and 242 data breaches were reported in just a three-month period. It’s never been more important for senior business leaders to have experience in managing crisis situations and to understand what external factors will impact that crisis and how to be prepared to manage the risks in your business. But first, […]

This paper describes a framework for privacy-preserving data sharing, addressing technical challenges as well as some data sharing issues  more broadly. The paper builds on the 2017 ACS paper, Data Sharing Frameworks 1, expanding the concept of a Personal Information Factor and introducing a Data Safety Factor with recommendations for threshold settings. Read the paper here