“As more of our day to day lives take place online, for work, study, and socialising, we may share more than we intend to. Our personal information such as our contact details, financial, or even sensitive information about our health or beliefs can be revealed online in ways we may not expect. Online tracking, sophisticated phishing scams and data breaches are just some of the issues that can have serious impact on our privacy”.
– OAIC Statement from Privacy Awareness Week 2021
Introduction
Once a year, for the duration of one week (usually in May), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) hosts an event known as Privacy Awareness Week, or PAW, an event designed to raise awareness of privacy issues, the importance of protecting personal information, and help the public, organisations, and the government – including numerous state, territory, and federal privacy regulators – “understand privacy rights and responsibilities”.
A Brief History
The PAW initiative was initially started by the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) in 2006. Since its inception, it has grown in popularity, and has been adopted by numerous countries including Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United States, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, and many more.
About the OAIC
Part of the OAIC’s remit is to provide information and advice on privacy to individuals, businesses, and agencies as well as ensuring that the Australian government follows the rules of the Privacy Act 1988 and other laws when handling personal information.
Events such as PAW are therefore a useful way for the OAIC to inform the public about what actions they can take to protect or help themselves, provide updates on legislative changes, risks relating to privacy, frauds, and scams, and educate attendees on matters relating to privacy and security.
Previous PAWs
Each year, PAW features a different theme, each related to privacy in some way. 2024’s theme was Power Up Your Privacy, and focused on privacy, technology, and “the key principles of transparency, accountability, and security” and how personal information and privacy should be protected in relation to AI, facial recognition technology, social media, genetics, and more.
The issue of cyber-attacks and data breaches was also raised as a point of concern at 2024’s PAW and was built partly off 2023’s Back to Basics theme of companies and governments keeping our personal information safe and raising awareness around how to do precisely that.
2022 by contrast explored the personal responsibility angle – with an eye towards identifying the personal, individual steps that we can take on a day-to-day basis to protect our personal information by practicing good privacy practices.
PAW and the OAIC
One of the responsibilities the OAIC takes on is education and protecting Australians’ privacy rights, and PAW is the perfect summit at which to educate the public, organisations, and branches of government about the importance of handling information sensibly, securely, and correctly.
It is also a means by which to stay up to date on the many various ways in which data and our information can be mishandled. As ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said, “there are three steps to staying safe from scams, which are becoming more and more difficult to spot. 40 years on, we all still use the iconic ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ message of the 1980s as a handy reminder of how to be sun safe. Now we need all Australians to ‘Stop. Check. Protect.’ to help keep themselves and others safe from scammers”.
Survey
Through PAW, the OAIC can obtain a community ‘pulse’ that reveals itself in the form of the Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS), which “provides a comprehensive view of Australians’ privacy attitudes and experiences and how recent events have impacted them”. The survey covers topics such as “data practices, privacy legislation, data breaches, biometrics, artificial intelligence, and children’s privacy”.
PAW 2025
The date and theme for PAW 2025 has yet to be unveiled, with the OAIC’s official website stating that a reveal will occur in late 2024 or in 2025.
Key Takeaways
Privacy Awareness Week is an opportunity for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, state/territory and federal regulators, private businesses, and individuals to come together to discuss best practices around data and information privacy and to ensure Australians’ personal data and information remains safe and secure.
