Managing and protecting personal information is more than a compliance exercise. In an environment of growing regulatory scrutiny and AI-enabled technologies, privacy failures can rapidly escalate into reputational, operational, and financial risks. When approached deliberately, privacy can become a genuine competitive advantage.
Evinact recommends five foundational practices all organisations should have in place.
Tip 1. Take stock of your holdings
Gain better visibility of your collection, storage, use, disclosure, monitoring, and control of personal information. Only retain personal information that is necessary for your business functions and activities, and only for as long as required. Just because you can collect it, doesn’t mean you should. Read more about managing information across its entire lifecycle in our blog post ‘Riding the next wave of information management‘.
Tip 2. Establish accountability for data oversight and controls
Ensure your data governance framework and associated processes are right-sized and fit-for-purpose for your organisation, program or project. This includes establishing the necessary roles, responsibilities, decision pathways, and controls to reduce ambiguity and support consistent management of personal information.
Tip 3. Manage your third-party risk
You are responsible for ensuring your suppliers, partners, and service providers comply with privacy obligations. Complete due diligence before procuring or subscribing to any service and maintain oversight throughout the life of an agreement. You remain accountable for how personal information flows within and beyond your organisational boundaries. This is particularly critical as AI-enabled features are increasingly embedded in software and applications, often introducing less visible data flows beyond organisational boundaries.
Tip 4. Privacy-by-design approach
Proactively anticipate and mitigate risks to personal information across all technologies, initiatives, activities and processes as a default practice. If personal information will be handled in a new or different way, you may need to conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA). PIAs are an essential step to understanding the privacy risks and potential mitigations associated with an activity or initiative.
Tip 5. Mobilise your team
Your team should understand that privacy is a shared responsibility and how their actions contribute to organisational compliance and trust. Mobilise your team with the tools and information they need to ensure ongoing privacy compliance. Useful guidance is available from state and federal regulators, including the Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner’s (OIC) guidelines for training and awareness, the New South Wales Information and Privacy Commission’s suite of support resources, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) privacy guidance for organisations and Australian Government agencies.
Other considerations
It is important to always keep the interests of individuals at the heart of planning, design and implementation. Be transparent. Ensure your organisational privacy policy is compliant and up-to-date and explicitly informs individuals about the use of their personal information in connection with AI.
Privacy compliance enables businesses to build trust and credibility with their customers and stakeholders. The most successful organisations recognise that privacy is a fundamental right and reflect that in all they do.
Evinact supports organisations to navigate privacy complexity with confidence. We bring unique expertise in establishing governance frameworks, supporting strategic procurement activities, conducting Privacy Impact Assessments, updating existing privacy and security policies, and upskilling teams to deliver ongoing success. Talk to us about how we can help.
