The statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy comes into effect on June 10th.
The tort creates a right for individuals to sue organisations, and individuals, for serious invasions of privacy.
That means, that although the change is to the Privacy Act, any individual or organisation (including government organisations) can now be sued under this right of action. The defendant to such an action does not need to be classified as an APP entity under the Act.
The nature of those invasions breaks down into intrusions into personal seclusion or misuse of information.
The important standard for responsibility, is when the conduct is intentional or reckless.
So, if your organisation doesn’t know:
- what information you hold
- where that information is and,
- who has access to that information
we recommend you conduct an information audit as a priority.
It’s also important to ensure employees are aware of their responsibilities for privacy, and that information handling practices are up to date.
Information audits don’t have to be overly complex, and if you don’t have the resources internally, we can assist.
Please contact us today to take advantage of our End of Financial Year offer and make the most of your privacy budget!
Call 1300 264 946 or use our contact form to provide your details and we’ll contact you.