Commissioner urges caution about AI amid privacy risks

Big tech companies are calling for immediate implementation of AI without ensuring the safety of citizens. It also created new frustration for the country’s new privacy commissioner.

Reforms to strengthen privacy protection

Commissioner Carly Kind told the Sunday Times she was not fearful of the future of AI, but was concerned about the speed at which the rapidly evolving technology was being used. She added that it will take time to understand the implications of AI and enact laws to prevent its misuse. Although she has extensive experience in the AI ​​field, Kind said she was frustrated by the sense of urgency around deployment, which seemed to override a cautious approach.

Kind, who took up the post earlier this year, is the first independent privacy commissioner after the Albanian government last year reversed cuts imposed by the Abbott government as part of a move to strengthen the established Office of the Australian Information Commission. . There are three commissioners who oversee privacy, information and freedom of information. The Data Protection Commissioner has powers to investigate serious breaches of personal data. Still, the bar is so high that in the last nine years the Office has only twice initiated civil penalty proceedings against an organization.

Amendments to the Privacy Act, which Attorney General Mark Dreyfus will table in Parliament next month, will give the Privacy Commissioner a boost in their efforts to crack down on breaches.

The need for a thoughtful AI approach

Under current law, commissioners can only take legal action in cases of “serious or repeated interference.” Nonetheless, the new lower and middle tier civil penalty provisions will probably mean enforcement of one-time violations rather than more serious ones. Kind said the reforms allow for a much more proactive approach to addressing the most serious and harmful privacy breaches. Although the Privacy Act is a principles-based framework, some parts are outdated and do not keep pace with current developments.

Dreyfus agreed and committed to 38 of the 116 recommendations, agreed in principle to 68 and referred to “10 points.” Details of the new law have not yet been finalized. However, it is likely that it will include 38 recommendations that the government has agreed to, including giving Australians the right to sue for privacy breaches. Meanwhile, the government is considering the remaining recommendations. Small businesses said they were most concerned about the regulatory and financial costs of having to comply with privacy rules. Nonetheless, Kind said good privacy practices are fundamental to good business.

Maintaining that data is one of your first lines of defense. You can’t lose that data if you don’t have it. This is Kind’s first sit-down interview since taking the role to mark Privacy Awareness Week. This year’s theme for the week is “Strengthening Privacy,” which seeks to empower people with their privacy rights online, even in the digital age of social media.

She announced that the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner was investigating how TikTok collects information to determine whether the social media giant, which collects Australians’ data without consent, should face further scrutiny. I took on the role shortly after. Kind’s questions continued and she said TikTok had “released” the information. An investigation is the stage before a formal investigation begins.

Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/calls-for-caution-on-ai-amid-privacy-risks/