Privacy Act

• Instead, TPS delayed, taking two years to respond to the journalist's request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act .
• In May 2022, via an interim decision, the TPS was ordered to comply with the journalist's original request to provide the data electronically.
• "This kind of roadblock is all too common for journalists when reporting on police forces in Canada," said Jolly.
• Last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received an unprecedented double-citation in the Code of Silence's law enforcement category .

• 10 May 2023
  The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) today commenced a joint investigation into the personal information handling practices of the Latitude group of companies (Latitude[1]).
• This is the first joint privacy investigation by Australia and New Zealand and reflects the impact of the data breach on individuals in both countries.
• The investigation will allow the efficient use of both agencies’ resources and reduce the regulatory impact on Latitude.
• The investigation will also consider whether Latitude took reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information that was no longer required.

• AUSTIN, TX, May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightspeed Systems , the leader in safe, secure and equitable education technology, announces Digital Equity —a module that provides robust and real-time connectivity and device health data on students’ school-issued devices.
• In addition, large disparities exist among student subgroups, particularly by ethnicity and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
• “Access to the internet outside of school provides more equitable opportunity for all students to achieve academic success,” said Brook McShane Bock, Chief Product Officer at Lightspeed Systems.
• To learn more about Lightspeed Systems’ Digital Equity module or to request a demo, please visit https://www.lightspeedsystems.com/products/digital-equity .

• The rationale was based on security fears and, in particular, the risk the platform will be used for foreign interference operations by China.
• TikTok is a video-sharing platform operated by ByteDance, a company headquartered in Beijing, but incorporated in the Cayman Islands.
• Like similar sites, TikTok’s privacy policy indicates an expansive approach to the collection and use of personal information.

The problem with focusing on only one app

• Given the ban only affects government devices, couldn’t the same people be susceptible to foreign interference through their use of TikTok on personal devices?
• What about other apps, such as Facebook, that collect significant amounts of user data – are these more secure than TikTok?
• In other words, the problem of digital security and foreign interference is bigger than just one app or the use of government devices.

A new, more effective cybersecurity strategy

• A discussion paper on the new strategy was released earlier this year, with submissions due this week.
• This process will hopefully result in a more holistic strategy on how to manage the cybersecurity and foreign interference concerns that led to the TikTok ban.


This kind of strategic approach, particularly on the education side, would give Australians better tools to arm themselves against foreign interference online, which as Home Affairs emphasises, is the “best defence” available.

A stronger privacy act could help, too

• Another relevant policy development is the government’s review of the Privacy Act, which is the primary Australian law on data protection.
• Changing the rules about how data is collected and used by platforms could provide less fodder for those running foreign interference operations.

What is needed is a strategy, not tactics

• Beyond Australia, at the United Nations level, some questions about whether international law can be applied to cyberspace have been resolved, while others remain open.
• Ultimately, what is needed is a strategy, rather than tactics, and better coordination of relevant policies across government.
• The TikTok example also highlights a truism that we shouldn’t think in terms of privacy or security, but rather privacy and security.