Privacy Awareness Week NSW 2024
Privacy Awareness Week
NSW 2024
Privacy and technology: Improving
transparency ● accountability ● security
6 - 12 May 2024
About Privacy Awareness Week
Privacy Awareness Week will take place from 6 – 12 May 2024.
Privacy Awareness Week is a global campaign that highlights the importance of privacy and raises awareness for public sector agencies about how to protect the personal information of our citizens. Each year, the IPC hosts a NSW campaign for NSW citizens and public sector agencies to raise awareness of privacy rights and obligations.
This year’s theme is “Privacy and technology: Improving transparency, accountability, and security” and focuses on creating a more responsible and secure digital landscape that balances technological advancements with the preservation of individual privacy rights.
Commissioner welcome
I am delighted to welcome you to this year's Privacy Awareness Week NSW campaign.
Technology is advancing at a rapid rate. With the ever-increasing presence and availability of technology in our day-to-day, such as ChatGPT or generative AI, privacy is an ever-increasing concern.
Privacy risks can be mitigated when adopting new technologies by applying the core privacy principles for collecting, storing, sharing, using and deleting personal information. Through improving overall transparency, accountability and security, agencies can better protect personal information and to anticipate future risks to privacy with advances in technology.
This years' theme of transparency, accountability and security aims to foster an environment where citizens can feel confident in their online interactions with government agencies, knowing that their privacy is respected, protected and that agencies hold themselves to account in an ever-increasing digital world.
This Privacy Awareness Week, I encourage agencies to maintain a culture of continuous learning and staff capability uplift to manage contemporary privacy issues and risks.
I look forward to celebrating the right to protect personal information and privacy with you during Privacy Awareness Week NSW 2024.
Sonia Minutillo
Acting NSW Privacy Commissioner
Transparency
Transparency in agencies’ privacy practices fosters a culture of trust between citizens and government agencies.
Through improved agency transparency, citizens can better understand the way agencies work, how their personal information is managed and what they can expect when engaging with an agency.
Accountability
By having the right systems and processes in place to protect personal information, and by openly reporting, agencies can demonstrate their accountability for their privacy practices.
Citizens can expect agencies to be accountable. Under NSW privacy legislation, they can seek a review of the agency conduct and further review at the NCAT.
Security
Agencies must have robust cyber security measures and security safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, use, mofication or disclosure. Agencies should test regularly for vulnerabilities and train all staff in privacy.
Citizens can also protect themselves by using a secure password or passphrase on websites, adjusting their privacy settings, and keeping their devices secure.
What's On
NSW Privacy Awareness Week Event: Security in technology
Date: Tuesday 7 May 2024
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Format: Hybrid
Location: Metcalfe Auditorium - State Library of New South Wales
Speakers: Sonia Minutillo, Acting NSW Privacy Commissioner, Leah Pinto, CyberCX.
About: In her presentation, keynote speaker Leah Pinto from CyberCX will provide intelligence insight into the cyber threat actors actively targeting Australians' personal information, and what we can do about this.
Additionally, Acting NSW Privacy Commissioner Sonia Minutillo will discuss the overarching theme of PAW 2024 and the importance of agencies safeguarding privacy in the ever-changing cyber world.
This event is for NSW public sector agency leaders, senior staff and privacy practitioners, including those within local government, universities and ministerial offices.
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) Event
Panel Discussion – Privacy and Technology: Improving Transparency, Accountability and Security
Date: Wednesday 8 May
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Microsoft Teams
Privacy Commissioners from around Australia will be joined by a special guest moderator to discuss the PAW theme for 2024 – Privacy and technology: Improving transparency, accountability and security. Hear Commissioners’ perspectives on how we as public servants can play our part in improving privacy practices while using new technologies to aid our important work.
NSW Right to Information & Privacy Practitioners PAW Event
Date: 8 May 2024
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Format: Hybrid
Location: Online & Bondi Boardroom, Institute of Managers and Leaders Suite 1.02, Level 1, 50 Carrington Street, Sydney.
About: To discuss this fascinating and timely topic this PAW, we will be joined by privacy thought leaders Annelies Moens and Dr John Selby from Privcore who have been developing a whitepaper on AI risk management options. They will highlight challenges and strategies agencies should consider when managing the risks of generative AI implementations. Sydney Water will share with the audience its journey of assessing and using artificial intelligence tools.
Resources
IPC Animation - Keeping Secure Online
The Acting Privacy Commissioner has released an animation for citizens containing steps that they can take to keep secure online and to protect their own personal information from misuse.
IPC Animation - Privacy and Technology
The Acting Privacy Commissioner has released a new animation for NSW agencies containing simple steps to keep personal information safe when using and implementing new technologies.
Implementing Technology - Privacy Toolkit
The Privacy Commissioner has collated the following key pieces of guidance into a Privacy Toolkit to assist agencies when using, implementing and commencing projects involving technology. The Toolkit and further information on implementing technology in your agency's projects or practices can be found on the Implementing Technology - Privacy Toolkit webpage.
- Privacy by design
- Digital projects
- Digital Restart Fund: assessing information access and privacy impacts
- Privacy Governance Framework
- Guide to Privacy Impact Assessments
- Privacy Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Assessing Websites
- Transition to the cloud: Managing your agency's privacy risks
- The Role of the Privacy Commissioner: Consulting the IPC on Initiatives and Projects
- Privacy Self-assessment Tool
The IPC has more resources available for agencies at privacy resources for agencies.
2024 Champion Program
This year we will again be running the Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) Champion Program. NSW public sector agencies can join as Champions to help spread the PAW message as well as encourage their agency and work colleagues to get involved and promote citizen rights.
Champions of the Program will receive a pack full of digital and printable resources, as well as written content such as newsletter articles, blog posts, social media posts and more to make promoting the campaign easy.
Agencies will also be acknowledged as a Champion here on the PAW NSW webpage and via the IPC's social media where possible.
2024 PAW Champions
Council, University & State-Owned Corporations
NSW Education Standards Authority
NSW Health Pathology
NSW Electoral Commission
Justice Health Forensic and Mental Health Network
Transport for NSW
HealthShare NSW
State Records NSW
Fire and Rescue NSW
Northern Sydney Local Health District
Southern NSW Local Health District
State Records Authority NSW
Sydney Local Health District
Long Service Corporation
Service NSW
Insurance and Care NSW
Cancer Institute NSW
Ministry of Health
NSW Government agencies
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
Department of Communities and Justice
Department of Customer Service
Department of Education
Department of Parliamentary Services
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
Department of Regional NSW
NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption
IPART
Legal Aid NSW
Local Land Services
NSW State Emergency Service
Murrumbidgee Local Health District
Museums of History NSW
NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation
NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust
NSW Environment Protection Authority
NSW Fair Trading
NSW Police Force
NSW Treasury
NSW Trustee & Guardian
Personal Injury Commission
Professional Standards Authority
SafeWork NSW
Central Coast Local Health District
State Insurance Regulatory Authority
