This appeared a few days ago:
It's not too late to fight for our digital rights. Here's how we start
By Ariadne Vromen, Kimberlee Weatherall, Fiona Martin and Gerard Goggin
27 November 2017
Uber's admission that it covered up a major data hack affecting 57 million users is the latest example of a mass infringement of digital rights.
As our worlds move ever more online, to the benefit of major technology firms such as Uber, Facebook, and Google, the need for a frank and open discussion about our digital rights has become urgent.
Government, as a central home to so much of our personal data, must be part of this mix.
Why it matters
Voicing concerns about technology is not new.
As David Brooks noted in the New York Times, "the left is attacking tech companies because they are mammoth corporations; the right is attacking them because they are culturally progressive."
If we leave politicised critiques to one side and look at why the public is concerned about their data, we see their worries are often well-founded.
Take this account of a former Facebook Operations Manager tasked with addressing its privacy issues, who speaks of an organisation that "prioritised data collection from its users over protecting them from abuse".
Australians are some of the world's greatest users of social media and mobile broadband, and our nation is in the top ten globally for internet use.
We adapt early to new technologies and our high uptake of smartphones paired with our relative level of wealth means we meet the digital archetype.
At a time when our use of technologies is redefining aspects of our personal and professional lives, researchers are compelled to explore our rights now and into the future.
This means taking a deep look at the role of private, transnational digital platforms in reshaping the way we work, study and conduct business and our interactions with government and each other.
What we've learnt
This week, our digital rights and governance project at the University of Sydney released a major report, detailing the attitudes and opinions of 1600 Australians on key rights issues.
We conducted our survey through Essential Media and held an online focus group discussion about scenarios (much like that of the Uber data breach), as well as analysing legal, policy and governance issues.
What we have learnt is that Australians have real concerns about digital privacy and how it is impacted by profiling and data analytics.
Australians' opposition or support for government surveillance depends on a complex set of scenarios around justice and anti-terror.
In the workplace, Australians think digital privacy matters just as much.
Most of us don't want our employers looking at our private social media posts, but concern for such practices breaks down through levels of education.
High-school educated, blue collar Australians and those over 40 are most concerned about employers accessing their social media posts.
This raises questions about how complacent or even complicit some companies may be about the monitoring of social media activity.
It also suggests that existing employment law may not adequately protect employee rights to digital privacy.
And we also grapple with wider realities of the digital disruption that gallops apace through our myriad interactions.
Real-world inequalities are being writ large on the digital plain, with our online experiences filtered by our age, gender, and social background.
More here:
There is also some coverage here:
Most Australians concerned about digital privacy: study
- 27 November 2017
- Written by Sam Varghese
A majority of Australians surveyed about digital rights, the need for governance and the responsibilities of social media platforms have indicated that they are concerned about their digital privacy.
The survey, carried out by the Digital Rights and Governance Project at the University of Sydney, found that of 1600 survey subjects 67% were taking steps to protect their privacy online. But only 38% felt they were in control.
The study found that about 80% wanted to know what information of theirs was being accessed, by whom, and how to report and correct inaccuracies.
�Australians� personal and professional lives are being transformed by digital disruption, while lawmakers, technology elites and corporate boards fail to keep up," said the report�s co-author, Professor Gerard Goggin.
"Data hoarding and seemingly opaque decision-making has given rise to community concern and an urgent need for our digital rights to be clearly laid out by the government.�
Another co-author, Professor Ariadne Vromen, said: �Our results provide a snapshot of the nation�s attitudes and behaviours in the digital world and show Australians� clear concerns about how their information is being used and accessed by governments, social media platforms and corporations."
The report also shows support for state-led surveillance of internet activity is dependent on what it is for. Some 57% favour collecting communications data for anti-terrorism purposes. However, the same percentage oppose a broader requirement for Internet service providers to store customer metadata.
More here:
This link provides more info.
It seems concern about privacy and associated issues has not died out � despite many saying it has!
The implications for Digital Health need to be carefully considered.
David.
Addition 5:30pm
Addition 5:30pm
"Conclusion
The Legislative Instrument is compatible with human rights because it advances the right to health. Any limitation of the right to privacy is proportionate, necessary and reasonable to achieving improved healthcare for Australians. Increased use of the My Health Record system, which will occur as a result of opt-out arrangements, will result in a number of privacy positives compared to use of paper-based records."
This is from the Explanatory Memorandum published a day or so ago.
To me the evidence-free assertions and unsupported judgment claims being made by Government / The ADHA here are just gob-smacking!
What do you think?
D.
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