Privacy Act – Page 3 – Cyber Law Watch

Privacy concerns over Westfield’s ticketless parking system

Feb 05 2016

By Cameron Abbott, Meg Aitken and Shirley Chen

Westfield has sidelined the SMS feature of its ticketless parking system this week due to concerns it breached Australian privacy laws.

Westfield’s newfangled ticketless parking system attempted to make parking quicker and easier for shoppers by scanning car number plates on entry and exit of their carparks, and sending an SMS notification to registered parkers recording their entry time and an alert message when their free parking time was nearly up. To register for the service, users were merely required to provide a name, license plate number and phone number (with no verification).

Privacy experts raised the alarm that any person could register false details and track another person’s physical location via the SMS notifications. This was a particular worry for those in domestic violence situations and could also potentially enable stalking or thieves to determine when homeowners had left their houses. The feature’s Terms and Conditions failed to address any of these issues.

The SMS service is currently suspended as internal investigations are conducted, though the rest of the ticketless parking system and app continue to operate.

Learn more about the ticketless parking system here.

Read the ITNews report on the issue here.

Microsoft cuts support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10

Jan 13 2016

By Cameron Abbott and Meg Aitken

Today, Microsoft will initiate the ‘end-of-life’ phase for the company’s older Web browsers, Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10. Customers using the outdated browsers will be sent an ‘end-of-life upgrade notification’ as technical support and security updates have now ceased.

Microsoft has encouraged the several hundred million users who currently operate the outdated browsers to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 or Microsoft Edge, which they suggest offers better-quality security and improved performance.

While users currently running Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 will still be able to use their browsers, Microsoft has warned there is a significant security risk of continuing to run the outdated versions. Without the periodic security updates and routine technical support, the outdated browsers will be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, malware and other security threats.

Australian Corporations have an obligation to keep materials secure under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and should therefore consider the risk that using the unsupported browsers may not be sufficient to meet this requirement.

Access the Microsoft release here.

Tag:Privacy Act