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Privacy Act 2020

Principle 7 states that a person has a right to ask an organisation or business to correct information about them if they think it is wrong.

If an organisation does not agree that the information needs correcting, an individual can ask that an agency attach a statement of correction to its records, and the agency should take reasonable steps to do so.

The rules for how an organisation must respond to a corrections request are set out in Part 4, Subpart 2 of the Privacy Act 2020.

Further information

Case notes

Privacy Act 2020 reference

Information privacy principle 7
Correction of personal information
(1) An individual whose personal information is held by an agency is entitled to request the agency to correct the information.
(2) An agency that holds personal information must, on request or on its own initiative, take such steps (if any) that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that, having regard to the purposes for which the information may lawfully be used, the information is accurate, up to date, complete, and not misleading.
(3) When requesting the correction of personal information, or at any later time, an individual is entitled to—
  (a) provide the agency with a statement of the correction sought to the information (a statement of correction); and
  (b) request the agency to attach the statement of correction to the information if the agency does not make the correction sought.
(4) If an agency that holds personal information is not willing to correct the information as requested and has been provided with a statement of correction, the agency must take such steps (if any) that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that the statement of correction is attached to the information in a manner that ensures that it will always be read with the information.
(5)

If an agency corrects personal information or attaches a statement of correction to personal information, that agency must, so far as is reasonably practicable, inform every other person to whom the agency has disclosed the information.

(6)

Subclauses (1) to (4) are subject to the provisions of Part 4.