data privacy Archives

Privacy

This new data privacy tool is ensuring anonymous COVID-19 data stays secure and private

All it takes for an individual to be reidentified in an anonymous dataset are three crucial pieces of information – birth date, gender, and postcode. These factors are arguably the most asked questions when filling out a form, and with every interaction with digital technology recorded, protecting people’s privacy and information can be challenging. But...

Cybersecurity

Eight tips on staying cyber safe during COVID-19

According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), almost 100 Australians have reported losing money or personal information to COVID-19 themed scams and online frauds since early March, while popular group video chat services Zoom and Houseparty have allegedly leaked thousands of users’ private data. As the majority of us continue to work from home and...

Australia wins international bid to bring prestigious online privacy preservation conference to Sydney

Australia has cemented itself as a global leader in privacy enhancing technologies after winning an international bid to bring the Privacy Enhancing Technology Symposium (PETS) to Sydney in 2021. A joint tender between CSIRO’s Data61 and The Optus Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub, both of which will be hosting the event, secured the conference, which comes...

Data Privacy Day: Here’s what you need to know

Hear from the experts on how organisations and individuals can protect themselves this Data Privacy Day, 28 January 2020 January 28th marks Data Privacy Day, “an international effort to create awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust”. There is currently a widespread shift in Australia towards increasing consumer rights around data...

Data privacy is a critical business need – here’s why

If data is the new oil, then consumer privacy is the refinery that transforms the product into the safe and useable end result. As we move further into the Digital Revolution, new and innovative solutions are needed to ensure we’re protecting one of our most valuable resources. In 2017, it was revealed that Cambridge...

Data Privacy – what is it, why is it important, how to ensure it, and what are its opportunities

Back in 2019, Flo Health’s ovulation tracker app shared private user information with Facebook, alerting the social media giant when a user was having her menstrual cycle or was intending to conceive. That data was then matched to an individual’s Facebook profile, with relevant ads being targeted towards that particular user. When contacted for comment by The Journal,...

Trust in a Trustless World: What does data mistrust look like now and how can we overcome it?

Digital deceit and data privacy scandals plagued 2018, with everyone trying to keep up with expeditiously evolving platforms and technologies. What does data mistrust look like now and how can we overcome it? Is regulation the answer and who should take responsibility for it? Can technology be both the problem and the solution? Four experts – Prof...

Engineering identity from anonymity: Our work on risks of re-identification

As you’ve no doubt read, either through Algorithm or national news, data is everywhere. We create and consume data continuously. This data is specific to us, but when consolidated, this shared data can be of immense value. The value is not only for population level insights. An example – it has been identified that data...