The ALRC Report on Privacy

In a digital environment, approval of a data transfer makes about as much sense as approval of an ocean current.

In its preoccupation with a perceived threat to its independence arising out of the recommendation for a private right of action for invasion of privacy, the media commentary on the ALRC’s Privacy Report has missed its most significant aspects. 

Among its many recommendations, the following deserve wide public discussion: regulating cross-border data flows; rationalisation of exemptions and exceptions; and uniform privacy principles and national consistency.

Regulating cross-border data flows

Collaboration is Key to Keeping Australians Safe Online

As Web 2.0 technologies and the threat landscape continue to evolve, it’s now more important than ever that both private and public sectors join forces.

A shift in thinking

While we all have our own safety guidance, coming together to consolidate these messages and working across sectors is critical to making impact with consumers.

Plurality of Identities, and trouble ahead with biometrics

The idea of biometric authentication plays straight into the view that each user has one "true" identity underpinning multiple authorisations.  

 I recently noted in the thread on identities and keys that: [We need] identity frameworks (like the Microsoft developed Identity Metasystem aka Cardspace) that permit as many "identities" as there are contexts in which we assert ourselves.

We are in the midst (I hope!) of a shift to a new paradigm based on a plurality of identities. And I think I'm using the over-wrought "p word" here in its proper context. The current "singular identity" paradigm has had a deep and unhelpful influence over the way we think about all sorts of things, including smartcards, PKI, biometrics, the semantic debate over "authentication" versus "authorisation", and therefore the underlying architecture of many approaches to federation.