Australian watchdog orders government to compensate migrants for privacy breach
January 27, 2021, 11:02 am

Australian watchdog orders government to compensate migrants for privacy breach

Data breach illustration. (Supplied)

An Australian watchdog on Wednesday ordered the government to pay damages to over a thousand asylum seekers whose personal data was wrongly made public seven years ago.

Lawyers believe this is the first time in Australian history that compensation has been ordered for a mass privacy breach.

More than 9,000 migrants had their personal information - including their name, date of birth, citizenship, reason for detention and location they were being held - mistakenly published online in 2014.

Around 1,300 could now each receive sums of up to US$15,500 within 12 months, after they formed a class action lawsuit to claim damages.

“This breach meant that any person searching the internet could access the personal information surrounding thousands of people applying for protection in Australia,” said lawyer Sarah Dale of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service.

“This includes authorities and indeed even the perpetrators of the persecution, in the countries from which they fled.”

Australia’s information commissioner said the Department of Home Affairs had “interfered with the privacy of 9,251 detainees in immigration detention by mistakenly releasing their personal information.”

The published report “contained embedded personal information that could identify all persons in immigration detention on 31 January 2014”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was immigration minister when the incident happened, called the breach “unacceptable” at the time.

source: AFP

Levant

FII conference to host speakers in ‘futuristic settings’ using new technology US says Eritrean forces should leave Tigray iafter reports of rights abuses

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”