Issued: 9 April 2024
Last modified: 9 April 2024
Each year we proudly support Privacy Awareness Week (PAW). PAW is an annual event led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to raise awareness of privacy issues and the importance of protecting personal information. This year, PAW runs from 6 – 12 May 2024 and the theme is ‘Power up’ your privacy.
Power up your privacy
The privacy and technology landscape are constantly changing with many developments being made, including artificial intelligence, the use of analytics, social media, and our ever-present devices. These developments all require us to think more actively about privacy and how personal information is protected.
This is why it’s so critical that you get yours and your practices’ privacy right. With privacy reform on the way, make sure you’re well positioned to meet the privacy standards your clients will expect. Here are some tips:
Transparency
If you are collecting personal information from your clients, make sure you are open and transparent about how you will handle their personal information and what it will be used for. You should only collect information that is necessary to carry out your services to your clients and you should ask your clients for consent where required. It’s equally as important to ensure information that you no longer need is destroyed or de-identified. This is especially important when you are verifying a client’s identity. Check out our guidance for more tips on how to protect your client’s personal information.
Transparency also needs to apply both within your practice – so staff know the parameters and requirements they work within – and outside it.
Accountability
Maintaining strong privacy practices should be a foundation of your practice. Good privacy practices include how you deal with problems and breaches, so be prepared to act quickly, openly and thoughtfully. You should also be vigilant when using third-party providers. By making sure privacy is firmly on the leadership agenda, and empowering staff to be strong custodians of privacy in day-to-day tasks, you will have a stronger, more secure and privacy-aware practice.
Security
Having the right processes in place will help you keep you clients’ personal information safe. That means strong data governance and reviewing and strengthening access security, including detecting and responding to threats. Look at additional authentication requirements, such as multi-factor authentication, to secure systems containing sensitive personal information. You should also decrease staff risks with regular, clear and accessible training.
Don’t forget that as a registered tax practitioner, you also have obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct (Code item 6) to maintain the confidentiality of client information and other legislation to protect tax file number information.
Get involved
There are a range of events being held during PAW 2024 and we encourage you to be proactive and get involved in ‘powering up’ your privacy. You can find out more about online and face-to-face events on the PAW website.