Mark your calendars as Auckland will host three international privacy events in December.

Privacy Security and Trust Conference

The largest event is expected to be PST2016 - the 14th Annual Privacy Security and Trust Conference being held at Unitec’s campus. It will provide a forum for global researchers to unveil their latest work in these areas and to show how this research can be used to enable innovation. The conference, jointly organised by Unitec and the University of New Brunswick, will be held over three days (12-14 December).

The main aims of PST2016 are:

• To highlight the innovative research happening globally with three main themes: Privacy, Security and Trust. Academics from across the globe will discuss solutions related to PST risks and showcase their research methods.
• To foster new ideas and conversation in order to reduce the amount of PST issues globally and to create enduring change in the behaviour and attitudes towards PST.
• To draw together PST practitioners, researchers, and government to showcase the latest PST research outputs and initiatives.

In addition to the research presentations, there will be keynote presentations from Justice Minister Amy Adams and Privacy Commissioner John Edwards.

Asian Privacy Scholars Network International Conference

The Asian Privacy Scholars Network (APSN) 5th International Conference will be held at the Business School at the University of Auckland on 13-14 December.

APSN aims to further the study of personal data protection, privacy, and surveillance in countries of the Asia-Pacific region, through conferences, publications and networking. It is predominantly comprised of academic scholars, but also includes researchers from government, NGOs and business. APSN now has over 100 members, including more than a dozen from New Zealand. 

Over two days, local and international privacy experts will gather to study developments in data privacy in the Asia Pacific region. The conference is open to any privacy scholars and professionals who wish to attend, space permitting.

The conference theme is ‘Global Privacy Standards: Evolution, Divergence and Surveillance’. The primary focus is on the challenges businesses face in addressing consumers’ fears and expectations in an era of pervasive surveillance against the backdrop of attempts to develop standards that allow the free flow of personal data.

The programme features nearly 40 privacy researchers arranged into seven broad themes. Two panels have a special focus upon Japan and China.

One special highlight will be the keynote speech by the former Australian High Court Justice, Hon Michael Kirby, who led a United Nations commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea.

Privacy Research Symposium

Rounding out a week featuring privacy research from around the world is OPC’s own Privacy Research Symposium to be held on Thursday 15 December at the University of Auckland.

The symposium will build on the first completed round of the Privacy Good Research Fund launched in 2015 and to highlight other recently completed privacy research.

The symposium will feature the four research projects that received funding from the Privacy Good Research Fund as well as presentations on research carried out within, or on behalf of, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Also featured will be a presentation from Australian researcher on privacy in aged care facilities as part of a wider study of ‘Baby Boomer’ sexuality.

Highlights of the Privacy Research Symposium will include:

• The Privacy Commissioner’s Privacy Good Research Fund
• Privacy in aged care facilities
• E-records and multidisciplinary community healthcare: community nurses’ knowledge and practice concerning electronic patient records, appropriate access and privacy
• Information sharing and high needs clients
• Parent-centric privacy framework for a safer cyber environment for children
• The ethics of sharing: what concerns underpin practitioner decisions about what to document in shared electronic records, and how should they be resolved?
• Measuring satisfaction of participants in privacy complaints processes and identifying areas for service improvement
• The Privacy Commissioner’s trial of transparency reporting and spot checks of credit report access.

Further details and online registration for each of the three events are available below:

• 14^th Annual Privacy Security and Trust Conference
• Asian Privacy Scholars Network International Conference
• Privacy Research Symposium

 Image credit: CDC/ Minnesota Department of Health (1930s)

research, International