By Sean Maguire ( September 1, 2026, 04:59 GMT | Insight) -- Australian privacy experts say the government’s proposed changes to privacy law fundamentally change how companies handle personal information, particularly through a new fair-and-reasonable test and stricter rules for consent, digital advertising and data trading. The package also proposes a limited right to erasure and tighter data breach reporting, but leaves uncertainty around AI models, smart glasses and fragmented surveillance laws. Critics are concerned about the small-business and employee-records exemptions, limiting erasure to large platforms and providing no additional direct right to enforce privacy protections.Several prominent Australian privacy-law experts say draft changes to the 1988 Privacy Act represent a major shift in the country’s privacy regime, while critics warn that narrow individual rights, longstanding exemptions and gaps in surveillance law remain....
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