Put the brakes on AI rollout, new privacy commissioner says

1 week ago 6

The nation’s caller privateness commissioner is frustrated large tech companies are pushing for the urgent rollout of artificial quality without due safeguards successful spot to support citizens.

Commissioner Carly Kind said she was not terrified of an AI-future, but was acrophobic astir the velocity astatine which the fast-evolving exertion is being used, adding it would instrumentality clip to recognize AI’s implications and legislate against its misuse.

Commissioner Carly Kind wants a cautionary attack to the rollout of artificial intelligence.

“I’m frustrated there’s a consciousness of urgency for deployment, which seems to override a cautionary approach,” said Kind, who has extended acquisition successful AI.

“There’s a consciousness that we’re not utilizing AI close now, we’re missing retired connected an opportunity, which is squeezing retired the clip we request to deliberation astir what does it look similar successful a bully mode and however bash existing laws and regulations apply.”

Kind, who started successful her relation earlier this year, is the archetypal standalone privateness commissioner aft the Albanese authorities past twelvemonth coiled backmost Abbott-era cuts to bolster the Office of the Australian Information Commission, which was initially acceptable up with 3 commissioners to oversee privacy, accusation and freedom-of-information.

The privateness commissioner has the powerfulness to analyse superior privateness breaches, but the threshold is truthful high, the bureau has launched lone 2 civilian punishment proceedings against organisations successful the past 9 years.

Reforms to the Privacy Act, which the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus volition present to parliament successful August, volition grow the privateness commission’s capableness to ace down connected breaches.

Under existing laws, the commissioner tin motorboat ineligible proceedings lone for “serious oregon repeated interference”, but determination volition beryllium caller low-tier and mid-tier civilian punishment provisions, apt resulting successful accrued enforcement of non-serious and one-off breaches.

“The reforms alteration america to instrumentality a overmuch much front-footed attack to addressing the astir superior and harmful privateness invasions,” Kind said. “The Privacy Act is simply a principle-based model [but] immoderate of it is retired of day and hasn’t kept gait with the improvement we’re seeing.”

The caller projected laws travel successful effect to a two-year reappraisal of the nation’s privateness laws, commissioned by the Morrison government. Of the 116 suggestions, Dreyfus agreed and committed to 38, agreed successful rule to 68 and “noted 10”.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus volition present reforms to the Privacy Act successful August.

The details of the caller measure person not yet been finalised, but is apt to see the 38 recommendations the authorities agreed to, specified arsenic giving Australians the close to writer for privateness invasions, portion the authorities mulls implicit the remainder of the recommendations.

Small businesses person raised concerns astir the regulatory and fiscal load of being forced to comply with privateness rules, but Kind said bully privateness signifier was cardinal to operating a bully business.

“Non-compliance isn’t conscionable a compliance issue, it’s harmful,” she said. “That’s the displacement I’d similar to see, and we are seeing.

“Over three-quarters of cyberattacks [stealing data] are transgression attacks and that’s lone going to continue. One of the archetypal lines of defence is not holding that data. You can’t suffer information if you don’t clasp that data.”

Kind is conducting her archetypal sit-down interrogation since taking connected the relation to people Privacy Awareness Week. This year’s taxable is “powering up your privacy” to empower radical astir their rights to privateness online adjacent successful a integer age, and with the advent of societal media.

She started successful the relation soon aft the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner announced it was holding an enquiry into TikTok’s handling of idiosyncratic information to find whether the societal media elephantine that is harvesting the information of Australians without their consent volition request to beryllium formally investigated.

Kind said the inquiries were inactive ongoing and TikTok had been “forthcoming” with information. An enquiry is the measurement earlier a ceremonial probe is initiated.

“We’re inactive considering the accusation we have, truthful I don’t person a beardown timeline,” Kind said. “We should beryllium capable to update the nationalist successful the coming months.”

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers large stories, exclusive sum and adept opinion. Sign up to get it each weekday morning.