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Australia Checks Its Pulse On Privacy
by William New
Australians have an international reputation for being gregarious and sociable, but how do they feel about their privacy? That's what the Australian government wanted to know as the date nears for strong new privacy measures to take effect in the country.
The Office of Federal Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton received data from telephone surveys of 1,524 consumers and 560 businesses as well as an e-mail polling of 112 federal government officers to determine how they feel about the use of their personal data by organizations.
It turns out that Australians value their privacy. For instance, 59 percent said, "It's none of their business" when asked about organizations using their financial information. That number climbed to 80 percent when asked about health information.
"This shows Australians regard privacy as a closely held and highly personal value," Crompton said in a statement.
Australia has had a privacy law regarding the use of purely government-held information for years. But in December it passed an extension of those privacy principles to cover businesses and communities that will take effect on Dec. 21, 2001. This reflected a desire in Australia to safeguard privacy online, according to a senior Australian official.
Industry To Launch Its Own Privacy Code
Australian Attorney General Daryl Williams will announce an industry-sponsored privacy code on Thursday that will be stricter than the existing legislation, particularly in the areas of children and unsolicited e-mails, known as spam. The code is expected to assuage the European Union's concerns that the Australian government's code does not meet the standards of the EU data privacy directive, according to an Australian official. Williams is unveiling the code, which was crafted by the Australian Internet Industry Association, although it is not a government regulation.
Small businesses -- those with revenues under approximately $1.5 million -- will not be subject to the government's law that goes into effect in December, unless they are related to a larger holding, such as if they are a subsidiary, the official said. In addition, the law also will apply if a business (no matter what size) provides a health service or holds health information, or if it discloses information to any other person for benefit, or is a government contractor or opts in to the legislation, the official said.
There are cases where Australians might be more tolerant, according to the surveys. For instance, 43 percent of respondents said that they would be willing to "provide personal details in return for more efficient and personalized services," Crompton said.
On health, 81 percent said it is appropriate for the government to use data to better track health services, but 60 percent of respondents qualified this by saying that inclusion in a national database should be voluntary. In addition, 41 percent of those surveyed said patients must give consent before health professionals can discuss the medical details of the patients in order to better treat them.
Respect For Personal Info Ranks No. 1
Generally, respondents were concerned about whether an organization will manage their personal information well. Fifty-nine percent said they would better trust an organization that gave them control over how their information was used, and 55 percent would more likely trust an organization with a privacy policy.
More than 40 percent of respondents said they turned away from organizations due to concerns over the use and protection of their personal information. At the same time, 14 percent said privacy concerns had led them to not deal with government organizations.
Those surveyed ranked respect for personal information at the top of the list of importance along with the quality of product or service. "Business is taking this message on board," said Crompton. Ninety-five percent of business respondents said they consider the privacy of customers' personal information to be a very important or important issue for their organizations. Eighty percent went so far as to say their business is dependent on their ability to protect and responsibly use their customers' personal information.
Nearly 20 percent of business respondents said they had begun preparing for the legislation to come into effect in December. But there were indications that some "knowledge gaps" need to be filled, Crompton said. Less than 40 percent of respondents were aware of which organizations are covered by the new law.
India Stands Firm Against A New Trade Round
Following the visit of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick last week, India has dug in its heels against launching a new round of free trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization ministerial in November.
According to press reports, Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran lashed out on Monday against comments by European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and WTO Director General Mike Moore. Lamy and Moore had warned that if developing countries do not support further trade liberalization, they could fall behind other nations.
Zoellick took a similar tack during his visit in which he tried to coax India to change its stance, but did not get the same reaction. India is a leader among developing countries, which make up three-quarters of the 142 nations of the WTO.
Some developing countries hold the view that they are not better off than they were before they opened their markets to trade in the last WTO round, called the Uruguay Round, which concluded in 1995. That round, which carried on for seven years, led to the creation of the WTO. The last WTO ministerial in Seattle in late 1999, collapsed in part due to developing country objections.
Developing Countries Have Themselves To Blame?
Big business in the United States yearns for another round of negotiations, especially since it appears it will this time include a big target: China. But according to the U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB), it must happen in a shorter, business cycle this time. Dean O'Hare, chairman and CEO of Chubb Corp., said in an Aug. 1 commentary on behalf of USCIB and the Coalition of Service Industries that rolling updates of trade liberalization would work better than large-scale rounds.
But when it comes to developing countries not having accrued the benefits of the last round, O'Hare agrees. But his reasoning is that developing countries have back-loaded their implementation of the agreements made in the last round, so they have not yet seen the benefits. In other words, if they would liberalize, they would benefit, he said.
India Continues To Attract Business
Despite the complaints about India's barriers to trade, reports continue to stream out demonstrating U.S. high-tech firms' interest in the "world's largest democracy." For instance, on Monday, Compaq and Cisco Systems announced the rollout of a global strategic alliance in Internet protocol telephony in India, according to The Economic Times of India.
Calling All IT Speakers
The Department of Commerce is looking for public or private sector speakers for a workshop at the Telecommunications and Information Working Group of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. The workshop, on Sept. 17, the first day of a five-day conference, is on IT management and planning for small and medium-sized enterprises.
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