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ARTICLE · 03 APRIL 2017

Australian Privacy Principles and data breaches – new measures planned

Kott Gunning
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Legislation introduces mandatory data breach notification provisions if serious harm is likely to result from the breach.

AustraliaPrivacy
Vidal Hockless
Vidal Hockless
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Co-authored by Amy Le Ray, Law Clerk

The Privacy Act 1988 regulates how personal information is managed with 13 Australian Privacy Principles, APPs, underpinning how Privacy Act regulated organisations manage personal information, including keeping it secure.

Guidelines for these APPs are issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner1 and set out the mandatory requirements organisations need to comply with in order to fulfil their obligations under the Privacy Act.

The APP guidelines set out that reasonable steps are required of an organisation to ensure the security of personal information with APP11 requiring organisations to take active measures to protect personal information from:

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