New Zealand privacy commissioner comments on new amendments to new Privacy Bill
The new Privacy Bill of New Zealand is under negotiation in the national parliament and is expected to come into effect on 1 December 2020. The New Zealand privacy commissioner commented that among the latest drafting changes, new amendments make clear that liability for privacy breach notifications sits with a business or organisation and not individual employees. The updated Act will now allow the Human Rights Review Tribunal to award up to USD$350 000 to each member of a class action, and privacy principle 4 has been clarified, requiring agencies to ensure that the way they collect information from children and young people is fair. After the Privacy Bill passed the Committee of the Whole House stage in Parliament on 3 June, with the House sitting under urgency, the Bill will now undergo a third reading in Parliament before becoming the Privacy Act 2020.