Lander & Rogers is proud to support Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) 2023 to promote privacy best practice, protect the privacy of individuals and to support businesses to be reform-ready for the most wide-reaching privacy law changes in Australia's history.
An initiative of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Privacy Week runs from 1 to 7 May and provides a chance to share knowledge and learn about the foundations organisations and individuals can build to protect their personal information.
This year's theme, Back to basics, aims to make privacy-related knowledge and practices more accessible and practical for businesses, and serves as a reminder that good privacy practice rests on solid foundations.
Why is privacy important?
Privacy is fundamental to human dignity, safety and self-determination. In a world increasingly characterised by digital interactions, personal information now exists in multiple locations, accessible by multiple parties, locally and globally. This exposes personal information to new and evolving, not least of which includes cybercrime. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) reported 76,000 incidents of cybercrime in FY21-22, up 13% from the previous financial year. This has been a global trend, especially felt in Europe after destructive malware launched against Ukraine rippled across European networks. This increase in cybercrime in Australia alone equates to an incident every seven minutes.
Privacy has never been more important in Australia. A recent Credit Suisse report highlighted that Australia has the highest median wealth per adult in the world, demonstrating why Australia is so attractive to cybercriminals. Online banking and shopping-related targeting remain the most common cybercrime events. The damage from cybercrime for business has also seen a 14% increase, with the average cost per reported incident rising to $39,000 for small business, $88,000 for medium business, and $62,000 for large business.
The ACSC has also reported increased collaboration across industry, small business and government, signifying greater opportunity for joint cyber security fortification and digital opportunities for cyber security prevention.
How can individuals and organisations guard against cyber attacks?
The ACSC and the OAIC publish guidance for individuals, businesses and government entities regarding how to best protect personal information and maintain privacy best practices. Recommendations include:
- discontinuing use of or upgrading old hardware devices that no longer receive security updates
- using more intricate 'passphrases' rather than simple passwords
- only using reputable cloud service providers and managed service providers that implement appropriate and safe information and cyber security measures
- having a clear and practical data breach response plan available to staff in the event of a breach
- only collecting personal information that is necessary in order to minimise exposure should a breach occur
How can I get involved in Privacy Awareness Week?
For more information about Privacy Awareness Week 2023, visit the OAIC's interactive Back to Basics resource centre.
Insights and further information
Lander & Rogers' team of data privacy and cyber security experts regularly publishes information and resources about privacy, regulatory action, data governance, incident response, cyber threats, mitigation and privacy reforms. Access useful guidance and articles about data protection for organisations below.
Major reform to Australian privacy laws call for privacy prioritisation
Data strategy and directors' duties: key considerations for boards
Call for law reform to regulate facial recognition technology
For a comprehensive look at the cyber landscape and how to build cyber resilience, access CyberSight 360.
Follow Lander & Rogers' Linkedin feed for additional guidance on how to protect personal and sensitive information and keep yourself and your organisation safe from cyber threats, as well as implement compliant privacy practices.
Our team of legal experts in Australian privacy regulation has developed Lander & Rogers PrivacyComply—an innovative, automated privacy impact assessment tool. Designed to help organisations efficiently navigate privacy obligations, Lander & Rogers PrivacyComply offers a smart, fast, and cyber-safe way to manage privacy risk.
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