Privacy laws outdated in internet age: report

[mr anderson]

Posted Wed Sep 12, 2007 6:31am AEST

The Australian Law Reform Commission has released a blueprint for a sweeping overhaul of Australia's privacy laws.

The Commission has drafted 301 proposals after staging the largest public consultation process in its history.

They include abolishing the fee for silent telephone numbers, expanding the powers of the privacy commissioner, and introducing a new law enabling individuals to sue for invasion of privacy.

Inquiry chief Professor Les McCrimmon says current privacy laws were drafted before new technology like email, mobile phones and digital cameras.

"Older people would be quite amazed at the storage capacity of information that goes out on the internet etc," he said.

"We do feel there is a big role to play in education around privacy issues and the use of technology."

Source: http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/12/2030385.htm?section=justin