Growth of New Technology Spurs Australian Law Reform Commission to Urge Changes to Privacy Law

On August 11, 2008, a massive, three-volume, 2700-page report, Report ALRC 108 (Privacy Report), was delivered by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to the Australian federal government on the topic of privacy laws. Entitled For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and Practice, the Privacy Report is a comprehensive survey recommending 295 separate changes to be made to laws and practices for government agencies, businesses and the private sector, including the introduction of a statutory cause of action to individuals for invasion of privacy. According to the ALRC, the driving force for suggesting change are the immense innovations in technology that have taken place since Australia's first federal privacy legislation of 20 years ago. Recommendations are made on a wide array of topics, including those related to privacy from the use of high resolution photography, as well as health records and cross-border data flows, and for expanded education to the public, including children, about online security. For the full text of the Privacy Report (including a comprehensive table of contents and a global search function), visit: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reports/108/ Summary by: The Editor