IAB Apprehensive About Proposed Privacy Regulations

IAB Apprehensive About Proposed Privacy Regulations
Andrew McKean
By Andrew McKean



IAB Australia has released the digital advertising industry’s submission to the Government’s Privacy Act Review Discussion Paper.

In its response, IAB Australia highlighted the importance of finding the right balance between protecting individuals’ privacy and ensuring online interactions be uninterrupted. 

The IAB submission also accented consent fatigue as an issue and supported the Government’s objective of reducing the existing burden on consumers. 

However, the IAB did raise concerns about how the Paper proposed to achieve this. 

IAB Australia, CEO, Gai Le Roy (Pictured above), said, “Privacy and consumer trust are fundamental to the functioning of our industry.” 

“But, we can’t keep throwing more frequent and more detailed notices at consumers.”

She added, “If we want to be a leading digital economy and society, the law should not be restricting legitimate uses of data that are not harmful, are within consumers’ expectations and are necessary to support online business.”

“The regulatory framework should address harmful practices without slowing down the digital economy or the advertising that funds it.” 

IAB’s Overarching Concerns About Government Proposals

  • Privacy regulations should not prevent legitimate data practices that support the digital economy. 
  • The legislation should remain principles-based and ‘tech neutral’ so that it can adapt to evolving data practices over time.
  • The Australian regulatory framework should not be more restrictive than overseas jurisdictions such as the UK and the EU. This would stifle innovation and put Australian businesses at a competitive disadvantage to those based overseas.

Despite these overarching concerns, Le Roy admitted that getting the regulatory settings right would be no simple task. 

She welcomed discussion and constructive work with the Government to achieve a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework. 

This will support the Government’s Data Strategy aims for Australia to be a leading digital economy and society.

Data is a critical funding component and facilitates the internet ecosystem, enabling free content and services to be delivered to millions of people every day. 

Effective data policy will support sectors including retail, finance, automotive, FMCG, technology and real estate.

View IAB’s full submission here.




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