Submission to Australian Treasury consultation on the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report

CPRC’s submission to the Australian Government consultation on the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry highlights an urgent need for reform to protect consumers.

CPRC has conducted research over the past two years uncovering significant consumer frustration with being kept in the dark, with no control when it comes to the collection of their data. The organisation has urged the Government to act swiftly to protect consumers.

Key Privacy Act and Australian Consumer Law reforms to deliver consumers better protections include:

• Requiring that consumers are clearly informed about what data is being collected, who it is being shared with and what it is being used for
• Requiring that companies obtain meaningful consent from consumers to collect and use data, in line with European reforms
• Data sharing defaults for products and services being set to off, requiring active opt in
• Introducing an unfair commercial trading prohibition into Australian Consumer Law to better protect consumers exposed to manipulation and exploitation
• Introducing a general safety provision to better manage the explosion in IoT devices, having regard to privacy, protection of children and data security