Lucinda Thorpe is a human rights advocate with a background in international relations and education, dedicated to improving privacy reform in Australia. She helps lawyers and the wider community better understand the importance of protecting personal information in a changing digital world.
Welcome to your taste of DRW's fortnightly newsletter!
This week: the growing environmental impact of AI data centres, DRW’s top podcast and article picks, a look at AI surveillance of Australian protests, and finally, a call-out to our readers.
TL;DR: The political party exemption in the Privacy Act leaves the door open for political parties, their contractors, subcontractors, and volunteers to access your personal information without following the same rules as everyone else. That needs to change.
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-keyboard-buttons-2882523/
Australians have a keen appetite for privacy and want better protections for their privacy. According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), 90% of Australians support laws that give them greater agency over how their personal information is handled.
AI companies are strip-mining Australian books, songs, and artworks to build their models without consent, without compensation, and without accountability.
Image credit: Khan Tran
On a global scale, there are an average of 285 breached accounts per 100 people. In Australia, that number skyrockets to 732 breaches per 100 people, meaning the average Australian has been affected by data breaches approximately seven times. Alarmingly, 30% of Australians believed their data was stolen in 2022 alone.
Today marks an important milestone, but there is still work to be done! Way back in December 2024, the government passed the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. The law comes into force today, 10 June 2025 and makes the following welcomed changes to our current privacy laws: