RIGHT OF – AUSTRALIA

ASX diversity guidelines face axe as new proposal emerges

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Original article by Perry Williams, Janet Albrechtsen
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 19-Feb-25

Tanarra Capital founder John Wylie says the ASX Corporate Governance Council should abandon a proposal to require directors of listed companies to disclose personal information such as their sexual orientation and religious ­beliefs. He says it is a gross invasion of people’s personal privacy to have to disclose their sexual identity in order to be eligible for a board position. A number of corporate directors have released a joint statement backing Wylie’s stance. Wylie has proposed his own reforms, which include requiring directors of listed companies to stand for re-election annually rather than every three years.

CORPORATES
TANARRA CAPITAL PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COUNCIL

The sensitive data of Australia’s security personnel is at risk of being on-sold to foreign actors

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Original article by Ange Lavoipierre
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 3-Oct-24

Research undertaken by the Irish Council For Civil Liberties highlights the national security implications of the Real Time Bidding system used by digital platforms to personalise online advertisements. The report notes that Google and Microsoft both send RTB data on Australian internet users to companies in China, which are required by law to share such information with the central government if they are asked to do so. The report’s author Dr Johnny Ryan says the RTB system is a "goldmine" for intelligence gathering, and could be exploited by foreign powers. The Coalition has urged the federal government to take urgent action to address the issue.

CORPORATES
IRISH COUNCIL FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Media bosses unite to push government on press freedom

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Original article by Nick Bonyhady
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 28-Feb-23

Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus met with executives from Australia’s major media groups on Monday to discuss a range of issues, including proposed changes to privacy laws. The executives also pushed the goverment to act on recommendations that resulted from raids on the ABC and the home of then News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst in 2019, with Drefyus saying he had been shocked by the raids at the time. Other issues discussed at the meeting included increased protection for whistleblowers and further changes to defamation laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Privacy fight for BHP vax order as miners caught faking jabs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 19-Jan-22

BHP has defended its decision to require all employees to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status by 31 January. The resources group says it needs all relevant information to ensure that employees are not faking their vaccination status. A spokesman says that immunisation history statements and COVID-19 digital certificates will only be viewed by members of BHP’s health and medical teams. The CFMEU has expressed concern about the privacy implications of BHP’s policy, and has taken the matter to the Fair Work Commission.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Judge takes swipe at media on privacy

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Original article by Michael Pelly
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 28-Sep-20

High Court judge Patrick Keane criticised the ‘old media’ in a recent speech titled ‘Too Much Information: civilisation and the problems of privacy’. Justice Keane claimed that media owners had a degree of self-interest in their push to have existing defamation laws changed, and that when it comes to choosing between the right to privacy and the right to know, they are likely to favour the right "with the dollar signs attached". The states recently agreed to introduce reforms to defamation laws which they argue in part will better protect public interest journalism, but so far New South Wales is the only state to have passed the uniform legislation.

CORPORATES
HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Cambridge Analytica scandal: Watchdog given green light to pursue Facebook

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: Online : 24-Apr-20

The Federal Court has given the Australian Information & Privacy Commissioner the go-ahead to serve legal documents on Facebook Incorporated and Facebook Ireland. The Information Commissioner is targeting Facebook over claims that the personal data of more than 300,000 Australians was breached as part of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook is facing possible fines of over $1 billion under Australian privacy laws; it has already been fined $5 billion by US regulators.

CORPORATES
FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK IRELAND, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER

Australian privacy watchdog launches court action against Facebook over Cambridge Analytica access

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Original article by Jack Snape, Ariel Bogle
abc.net au – Page: Online : 10-Mar-20

The Australian Information Commissioner has taken social media firm Facebook to the Federal Court for allegedly breaching the privacy of around 311,127 Australians in regard to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Commissioner has stated that the court can impose a fine of up to $1.7 million for each "serious and repeated" offence. The UK privacy watchdog has previously fined Facebook Stg500,000 billion ($998,000) over the Cambridge Analytica episode, while a US Federal Trade Commission investigation resulted in Facebook paying US5 billion ($7.64 billion) over allegations that it duped users over their ability to control personal information.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Google faces court case over misled users

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Original article by David Swan, Elias Visontay
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Oct-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has launched legal action against digital giant Google for misleading users of Android smartphones with regard to the amount of data it collects and how the data would be used. Amongst other things, the ACCC contends that Google failed to inform consumers that it would continue to receive location data from their smartphones if they switched off the ‘location history’ option. Google faces potential fines of up to $10m or 10 per cent of its annual turnover if the alleged breaches of Australian consumer law are proven in the Federal Court.

CORPORATES
GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Your data at risk in takeovers

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 21-Aug-19

Foreign Investment Review Board chairman David Irvine has stressed the need to closely scrutinise foreign bids for companies that own data centres or hold Australians’ personal data. Irvine has used an Australia China Business Council speech to argue that data must be afforded the same level of protection as critical infrastructure such as ports, water supply and the power sector. He added that the FIRB’s tougher stance on the issue of data security has not attracted much concern among foreign investors.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, AUSTRALIA. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR, SIRTEX MEDICAL LIMITED, NATURE’S CARE, LIFE-SPACE GROUP, HEALIUS LIMITED – ASX HLS, JANGHO GROUP, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED

Facebook’s $7bn fine piques the interest of Privacy Commissioner

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Aug-19

Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk launched an investigation into Facebook Australia in 2018. This followed the latter revealing up to 311,000 Australians might have had their personal data "improperly shared" by Cambridge Analytica. Falk, who was a key adviser to ACCC chairman Rod Sims on his report into digital platforms and their impact on traditional media, says the investigation is a "matter of great priority" for her office. She notes with interest the recent $US7 billion fine that the US Federal Trade Commission imposed on Facebook in the wake of a number of privacy violations by it, including the Cambridge Analytica leak.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION COMMISSIONER, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA LLC, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION