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Bill to allow victims of AI deepfakes to sue for emotional damages
On 24 November 2025, Senator David Pocock introduced a private Senator’s bill, the Online Safety and Other Legislation Amendment (My Face, My Rights) Bill 2025 (Cth) (Bill) to amend the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) (Online Safety Act) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).
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Malcolm Burrows on ABC’s “Legal Eagles” segment – Deepfakes
On 3 December 2025, Malcolm Burrows appeared live on Katherine Feeney’s ABC Radio program, “Legal Eagles” as the Technology and Intellectual Property Lawyer to discuss the proposed amendments to the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) through the introduction of the Online Safety and other legislation Amendment (My Face Rights) Bill (Cth) 2025 (My Face Rights…
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Aust Clinical Labs fined $5.8mil for failing to report data breach
On 8 October 2025, the Federal Court published the judgement of Justice Halley in the case of Australian Information Commissioner v Australian Clinical Labs Limited (No 2) [2025] FCA 1224 (AIC v ACL). Australian Clinical Labs Limited (ACL) was ordered to pay $5.8 million in civil penalties in relation to a 2022 data breach. This…
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Federal Government releases report into age verification trials
On 31 August 2025, the Australian Government published the Final Report (Report) on the Age Assurance Technology Trial (Trial). Conducted by the independent Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), the Trial offers insights into the technical feasibility, privacy implications, and operational deployment capabilities of various age assurance technologies. While the Report explicitly states it is neutral…
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What is the US Take It Down Act?
The Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act (Take It Down Act ) is a United States (US) federal law enacted on 19 May 2025. The Take It Down Act amends 47 U.S. Code § 223 (Code) of the Communications Act 1934 (US) (Communications Act) by establishing new…
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Federal parliament enacts cyber security legislation
On 25 November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed a suite of legislation, collectively referred to by the Australian Government as the Cyber Security Legislative Package 2024. The purported impetus for this legislation was a series of high-profile data breaches in 2022 and 2023.
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Privacy Act amended to increase penalties to a max of $50 million
The Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022 (Bill) was passed by both Houses of Parliament on the 28 November 2022 and now awaits Royal Assent. The Bill was passed with virtually no amendment.
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What should APP Entities include in data destruction policies?
This article summarises the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the importance of having a data destruction policy (DDP) in place. It outlines the steps to take when destroying or deidentifying personal and sensitive information, and the consequences of not doing so.







