Australia passes new privacy law.

• Position: PRIVACY

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In late December 2012, Australia passed the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012; it goes into effect in March 2014.

Most notably, the new law established the Australian Privacy Principles, the National Privacy Principles (applicable to the private sector), and Information Privacy Principles (applicable to the federal public sector) revised credit-reporting provisions; and expanded the powers and function of the Australian Privacy Commissioner, including the authority to seek civil penalties up to $1.1 million ($1.15 million U.S.)

Businesses were given 15 months to review their existing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the new law.

Passage of the law occurred about the same time ABC News Australia reported that cybercriminals had hacked into the server and password system of a small medical clinic in Queensland and encrypted the center's patient medical records. The thieves then demanded $4,000 ($4,200 U.S.) to decrypt the data.

A Troubling Trend

This is just one more instance of a disturbing global trend in data security. Healthcare providers have become popular targets for this kind of cybercrime. The Third Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security, released in December 2012 by Ponemon Institute, reported that 94% of the U.S. hospitals surveyed had...