Speech by Australia’s new Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind

On the idea of privacy by design:

The concept is deceptively simple. At its heart it is a recognition that technology is not exclusively, or even primarily, part of the problem when it comes to the protection of data privacy. Rather, it is an essential part of the solution.

Beyond that nub of the idea, however, the concept of privacy by design speaks to a deeper and more universal truth – that technology should be deployed in the pursuit of societal objectives, and not the other way around. That even as we, as individuals and communities, are shaped by technology, we also have the power to shape technology.

The key word there is power. Notions of power cut in every direction in the digital ecosystem – the power wielded by tech monopolies and duopolies; the power concealed in political microtargeting and misinformation campaigns; the lack of power and agency consumers feel when they’re using digital technologies.

To me, the right to privacy is all about power – the power to control who has what information about you, and the power to hold them to account in how they use it.

Text of speech, via the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.