An updated Privacy Act comes into force on 1 December 2020. While it strengthens some privacy rules, any business with sound privacy practices should be good to go!
Privacy responsibilities
The Privacy Act covers all personal information you hold – staff, customers, prospect lists etc.
You already have the legal responsibility to collect identifying information only when it is necessary; to appoint a Privacy Officer for your organisation; to keep personal information secure; and to provide any information you hold about a person whenever they request it. None of this will change.
The new Act will also make it compulsory for your organisation to report any privacy breach that that has potential to cause serious harm. You can evaluate whether a breach meets this threshold at https://privacy.org.nz/privacy-for-agencies/privacy-breaches/notify-us/evaluate
The Privacy Commissioner will now be able to make decisions on complaints relating to access to information. This will mean a faster resolution to information access complaints.
It will also be a criminal offence to destroy personal information, knowing that a request has been made for that information.
For more information on the Privacy Act changes go to https://privacy.org.nz/further-resources/knowledge-base/
To report a privacy breach go to https://privacy.org.nz/privacy-for-agencies/privacy-breaches/notify-us/