International transfers of personal data are under the spotlight again following a recent decision of the European Court of Justice that reviewed the legal means of transferring personal data from the EU to the United States: Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Max Schrems (Case C-311/18; 16 July 2020).

When is information your personal information? Does it include references to other people that just happen to be on a file with your name on it? These are the questions that the Human Rights Review Tribunal, and High Court of New Zealand have considered in the recent decisions in Taylor v Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections ([2018] NZHRRT 35 and [2019] NZHC 383).

Please note this blog post is more than one year old. Visit our Privacy and COVID-19 page for the most up-to-date information.

Clearview AI has been making international headlines again this month as Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office and Australia’s Information Commissioner launched a joint investigation into its privacy practices. The company has also recently withdrawn from the Canadian market following an ongoing investigation in Canada. 

The parents of a profoundly disabled boy took a case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal [2020 HRRT 13] on their son's behalf in relation to the provision and accuracy of his health information while he was in the custody of IDEA Services.

An Auckland Powershop customer did the right thing by checking her credit report after the company said she was in arrears, even though she was up to date with her payments.

The Human Rights Review Tribunal [2020 HRRT 16] awarded $50,000 to an ACC claimant after it was found to have breached the Privacy Act by destroying his file.

In a historic first for the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) network, its biannual forum took place via video conferencing. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, APPA members decided this was a practical course of action for its 19 member authorities and contributing observers, with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PCPD) hosting the virtual event.