Australian Government publishes interim response on Safe and Responsible AI in Australia

On 17 January 2024, the Australian Government released its Interim Response to consultations held on Safe and Responsible AI in Australia. The Interim Response shows that the Government will be targeting the use of AI in ‘high-risk settings’ with ‘mandatory guardrails’ for the safe AI design, development and deployment in high risk settings being considered in close consultation with industry and the community.

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Australia’s Privacy Watchdog conducting an inquiry into how TikTok Collects Personal Data from Users

December 2023 – The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has launched an inquiry into whether TikTok’s use of marketing pixels, which track people’s online habits, breaches Australia’s privacy laws. The inquiry follows TikTok’s recent fines in Europe and the UK – including a fine of €345m (AU$560m) for breaking the European Union (EU) data laws about children’s accounts.

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ACCC: Compliance and Enforcement Priorities for 2023/24 – Legal Update

Recognising the impact of current rising cost of living on Australian consumers, areas of ACCC scrutiny for 2023/24 include competition/anti-competitive conduct, fair trading and consumer protection issues in the digital economy, the energy, telecommunications and gas markets, environmental and sustainability claims, unfair contract terms and the financial services sector.

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