New Zealand Justice Minister Judith Collins announced significant planned improvements to the nation’s privacy laws, which are expected to deliver stronger protections for New Zealanders’ personal information.
The Minister noted that advances in technology since the Privacy Act was enacted in 1993 have dramatically changed how personal information is collected, stored and shared by businesses and government agencies. The reforms seek to put the onus on information holders to identify and address risks before they occur.
“Large amounts of personal information are now stored online and transmitted digitally – this has benefits, but also poses potential risks. It’s now possible for huge amounts of data to be released in a single privacy breach, potentially affecting large numbers of people,” she said.
Key proposals in the reforms include: Mandatory reporting (organizations will have to report data breaches to the Privacy Commissioner, and notify affected individuals in serious cases); new offenses and increased fines (Actions such as failing to notify the Commissioner of a privacy breach or impersonating someone to obtain their personal information will be illegal and carry a fine of up to $10,000); and enhanced powers for the Privacy Commissioner.
“It’s vital that New Zealanders have confidence in our privacy laws, and that people know their information is in safe hands,” Collins said. “Our proposals will put strong incentives in place to ensure businesses, government departments and other organizations take privacy seriously.”