IS YOUR TEAM READY FOR MANDATORY PRIVACY BREACH NOTIFICATIONS?
One of the most talked-about changes in the new Privacy Act 2020 (which came into force on 1 December last year) is the introduction of mandatory privacy breach notifications.
Under this Act, any organisation that suffers a ‘privacy breach’ is required to make a notification to the Privacy Commissioner and to affected individuals. Failure to report notifiable privacy breaches carries a fine of up to NZ$10,000.
A privacy breach is notifiable if it is reasonable to believe that the breach has caused serious harm to affected individuals, or is likely to do so.
A “privacy breach” is defined broadly, and includes unauthorised access to or disclosure of information, as well as unauthorised alteration, loss or destruction. All manner of incidents – including common cases of
