The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Digital Platforms July 2019 report looked into the influence of digital platforms on the competition. The government pledged in March 2018 to strengthen privacy protections for social media and other online platforms that trade in personal data. The study reaffirms the government’s prior promise by advocating the adoption of a privacy code for digital platforms and increasing penalties for breaches of the Privacy Act.
By adapting and expanding upon the standards under the APPs, a new OP code will meet the specific privacy concerns posed by social media and other online platforms that collect a large amount of personal information or trade in personal information.
Under the Privacy Act, the Commissioner can create two types of legally binding privacy codes. One specifies how one or more of the Australian Privacy Act’s APPs apply to a specific entity or class of entities. The other is a credit reporting (CR) code that specifies how Bill’s credit reporting provisions will be applied. The Bill will compel implementation of the third type of binding privacy code, known as the OP code. The OP code will outline how private sector organisations must comply with the APPs and meet additional requirements.
By- Shubhangi Kumari Mishra
(Content Writer, WCSF)