28 Nov 2014, 09:00

The Government’s decision to reform the Privacy Act was a significant landmark in an important year for privacy law in New Zealand, says Privacy Commissioner John Edwards in his Annual Report released today.

The report noted privacy continued to be a prominent subject of public debate and discussion both domestically and internationally. Revelations by the former US National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden put a global focus on online surveillance. This had repercussions in New Zealand by highlighting the role of the Government Communications Security Bureau. The Privacy Commissioner’s role is tightly prescribed when looking at intelligence agencies, but Mr Edwards noted that there were opportunities for greater cooperation between oversight agencies.

International surveillance activities were one part of a dynamic picture. Information privacy and data protection had developed rapidly against a background of technology changes such as the growth in cloud computing; mobile computing; social networking; cross-border data transfers; biometrics; data analytics; online fraud, and the capabilities of technology such as drones.

The 2014 budget provided much needed additional targeted funding for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner through Vote Justice. This increase to baseline funding reflected changing demands upon the Office over a number of years and the fact that good information privacy practice was integral to the success of Better Public Services, especially Key Result Areas 4, 9 and 10.

The Office would be making these areas a priority in its ongoing work:

• building capacity in the market for privacy expertise
• supporting Better Public Services initiatives
• developing comprehensive and clear guidance to help businesses and individuals comply with the law and prepare for law changes
• continuing to collaborate with international colleagues to achieve effective enforcement outcomes
• monitoring and developing guidance on Authorised Information Sharing Agreements (AISAs)
• working with the Vulnerable Children’s Board, Child Protection Teams and the Children’s Commissioner and others to resolve information sharing dilemmas arising in the context of care plans for vulnerable children
• developing our public outreach programme through redeveloping our website and online resources, and targeting areas of identified need; and
• enhancing our enforcement and dispute resolution processes.

The Privacy Commissioner’s 2014 Annual Report can be viewed or downloaded here.

For more information, contact Communications Adviser Charles Mabbett on 021 509 735.

ENDS