Category: Privacy Commissioner

Source: Privacy Commissioner

2024 biennial survey on privacyMedia release:  Digital revolution drives concerns for New Zealanders: UMR survey results.

APPA Privacy Awareness Week 2011 social media survey

8 December 2011

View the English language survey results and the English language redacted comments of the survey from the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities social media survey.

View the Spanish language survey results.

View the Chinese language survey results.

View the Korean language survey results.

International Disclosures and Overseas Information and Communication Technologies Survey

2 May 2011

Results in this survey showed that a large number of respondents that send information overseas do not check the overseas organisations’ use and management of the information.

The issue of ‘cloud computing’ clearly has major benefits for businesses and government agencies but it also carries some risks.

This survey has found that both the private and public sectors need guidance in this area. While most of the organisations have controls to protect the security of personal information in transit, some have no control over what happens once the information is sent overseas or don’t know if they have controls.

Media release.

View the full report.

May 2011.

Privacy survey 2010

29 April 2010

Results in this report are based upon questions asked in the UMR Research nation-wide omnibus survey. This is a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 750 New Zealanders 18 years of age and over.

Fieldwork was conducted from 18th to 23rd March 2010 at UMR Research’s national interview facility in Auckland.

Media release

View the 26 page report.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

Privacy Commissioner John Edwards has welcomed the Governments plans to rethink the practice of collecting individual client level data from social service providers. The Government announced today that social service contracts will no longer require providers to disclose individual client level data until a new data protection and use policy is in place. This is in contrast to previous plans, which required service providers such as NGOs to provide information about individual clients in order to receive funding. This information included clients’ names, number of children and other social services they engaged with. Mr Edwards said I commend this pause in approach. Projects like this have the potential to do a lot of good by measuring and improving the efficacy of social services.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

State houses at Arapuni Hydro Works from Archives NZ record number A1124

The guidance below is for tenants, landlords, and others in the rental accommodation sector to clarify what information may be requested at every stage of the rental process. We have also launched a new monitoring and compliance programme to ensure that rental agencies and landlords stay on the right side of the Privacy Act. Resources for Landlords
Resources for Tenants
Questions?
If you have enquiries about the Privacy Act and rentals please email our Compliance Team. We’ve also included questions for tenants and landlords in our Ask Us database.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

The Privacy Amendment Bill is making its way through Parliament, and we know organisations are starting to think about how this will impact them. Weve put together key information on the Bill, which well update as it progresses. Guidance
One of the important changes in the Bill is adding Information Privacy Principle (IPP)3A. Well be developing guidance for organisations on the requirements of IPP3A, as well as reviewing OPCs Codes of Practice to determine whether any amendments are required. In the meantime digital. govt. nz has an overview of IPP3A planning for indirect notification requirements. When is this happening?
The Minister of Justice has indicated that the commencement date will be six months after the Act passes. Were aiming to have the guidance developed and published on our website to allow organisations plenty of time to implement the requirements of the new Act.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

The first Privacy News of 2025 covers the release of the Biometrics Code and how to give feedback on this, a new case note about personal information being published to a website, and the introduction of OPC’s Mori reference panel. There is also a notice about new translations of our privacy brochures – we now offer them in Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese. Read the January 2025 issue.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

16 Jan 2025, 09:00

AboutMe (Request My Info Tool) had a glitch between 19 December 2024 and 12 January 2025 and any requests made during that time haven’t been forwarded on to the agency involved.

What happened was that an error in our system stopped people receiving an email verification link, which is a step in the process that lets your request go through. 

Like any glitch, it was unintended, and we apologise for any inconvenience. We also recommend that if you used the AboutMe tool between 19 December 2024 and 12 January 2025 that you redo your request. 

Source: Privacy Commissioner

19 Dec 2024, 09:00

Taking a break and relaxing over the holidays is a Kiwi tradition, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about protecting your privacy, Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says.

“The holiday period can be a time of letting things slide, which can mean it’s also the time privacy issues strike, like phishing scams, dodgy online stores, and invasive kids’ toys.

Christmas shopping can be stressful, it’s time dependent and unfortunately scammers can take advantage of people through fake online shopping sites, or scam emails about parcel deliveries or special offers.

“With multiple things being ordered online, it can be tempting to click on a link about parcel deliveries and end up falling for a common phishing scam,” says Mr Webster.

Even presents can have privacy implications, with an increasingly number of things having AI included, for

 example there are even air-fryers with built in AI cameras. Kids’ toys are not immune either, with many ‘smart’ presents available.

“The key thing is about being aware the present you bought has AI included and being comfortable with the pros and cons of that. Good questions to ask are how much personal information it needs, where are these details going and who owns that information?

“You may be fine with using your own personal information to make something work, but are you so comfortable with having a family member, including potentially a young child, give away their personal details?

“It’s no fun to think about privacy when you’re shopping for kids’ toys, but you’d avoid a toy that presents a health risk, so you should probably also avoid toys that present privacy risks.”

Another good privacy tip is if you’re buying from a website you’ve never used before, make sure it’s a site you can trust. You can look up online reviews of the store to check their reliability and reputation. If you see a deal too good to be true, it really might be.

“It takes a wealth of personal information to order online, so make sure you only give information to websites you trust, as things can quickly go bad if it’s not a legitimate site.

“It’s important to pause and take a moment to think about the situation. Get a second opinion, check online and follow the guidance from trusted sources like Netsafe.

Road toll texts are another common phishing scam over the holidays. It can be difficult recalling when and where you were on a toll road, so it might seem real, but the most important thing is knowing Waka Kotahi will never send you a text message with a link in it, so don’t click it, delete it.

“We’re not trying to be killjoys, we just want Kiwis to stay safe over summer whether that’s on the roads, under the sun, or online with their privacy.”

“Don’t let the phishing grinches steal your details,” the Commissioner says. “This is your friendly reminder to keep privacy in mind over Christmas.”

Source: Privacy Commissioner

The Privacy Commissioner has announced his intention to issue a Biometric Processing Privacy Code of Practice and is calling for submissions on the draft Code. Links to review documents

Read the Biometric Processing Privacy Code (opens to PDF, 200Kb) – we are seeking feedback on this. Read our consultation document (opens to PDF, 563Kb) – we are seeking feedback on this. Our draft Biometric Processing Privacy Code guidance (opens to PDF, 1. 1MB) – we are seeking feedback on this. Remind yourself of the history of our biometrics project.

NOTE: While our newly established OPC Mori Reference Panel have been provided with the Code consultation pack, they have not had input in to its development to date as a Panel. As part of this consultation, we will be seeking their views.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

The Privacy Commissioner has today announced his intention to issue a Biometrics Code. He is releasing the Biometric Processing Privacy Code of Practice for consultation and is calling for submissions on the draft Code from the public and any agencies the code would apply to. The code will help agencies implement the technology, while giving people confidence its being done safely and fairly, Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says. New Zealand doesnt currently have special rules for biometrics. The Privacy Act regulates the use of personal information in New Zealand, including biometric information, but biometrics needs special protections especially in specific circumstances.

Biometric processing is the use of technologies, like facial recognition technology, to collect and process peoples biometric information to identify them or learn more about them.

Source: Privacy Commissioner

Over some of summer our staff wont be working. You can still tell us about your privacy complaint or notify a breach (if youre a business or organisation) and receive a confirmation that weve received it. But we wont action anything immediately. Our 0800 803 909 phone line will be open until 3pm on Friday 20 December 2024. We will start answering calls again at 10am on Monday 13 January 2025. Check whether weve already answered your question
Ask Us is our list of more than 600 questions and answers about privacy. Its used by more than 16,000 New Zealanders every month so might be able to help you too. Search your question in Ask Us.