Privacy authorities typically perform regulatory and enforcement functions on their own - or occasionally with another public body - within their domestic jurisdiction. They know the domestic law they enforce. The law will clearly lay out the authority’s role and provide a clear pathway to the intended outcomes.

(This post originally ran on The Spinoff.) Until last night I was unfamiliar with the commissioning process for pieces for The Spinoff. Mine came in the form of a Twitter direct message. “John! fancy writing us a post for the Spinoff on the new legislation and why you’re not a cheerleader clown!?”

Do you have a privacy predicament or do you simply want to know more about privacy and the law? Last year, our office took over 8,000 enquiries from the public through our 0800 phone line and via email. We also received nearly 300 media enquiries on a wide range of topics including data breaches, the Harmful Digital Communications Act, drones and public registers.

We at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enjoy a good film as much as the next person, and relish the opportunity the NZIFF presents to see some of the best cinematic endeavours in the world on our screens.

Online client portals can be great for customer service. They can be constantly updated, improved and extended. This flexibility is delivered by a complex collection of software and, unfortunately, complexity easily gives rise to difficulties. The impact of these difficulties can, however, be minimised if you take steps to avoid problems occurring, or respond quickly to them.

Why was the SIS agent playing Pokémon Go? Because he wanted to Pikachu. Joking aside, the Pokémon Go app is proving to be an incredible phenomenon driven by children and adults alike. But it hasn’t taken long for claims the app was also dangerous because of the amount of personal information it sought access to when users installed it on their smartphones.

As parents, we expect to be told everything about our infants when we take them to the doctor. The same with our toddlers. By the time they get to their teens, it gets a little more complicated. Should parents have the right to know about all about their under 16-year-old’s healthcare?

If ‘open sesame’ was a password, just remember how in the tale of Ali Baba it didn’t work out so well for the 40 thieves and their treasure trove. Consider then how well an easy-to-guess password will protect yours.