Helios

Welcome to Helios, Salinger Privacy! We've joined forces with Salinger Privacy, one of Australia’s most trusted and reputable partners for privacy training, resources, consulting and advisory services. Established two decades ago by Anna Johnston, one of Australia’s foremost privacy experts, Salinger Privacy has built a sound reputation for providing superior quality consulting, engaging training. and effective compliance solutions for clients of all sizes - from ASX20 listed companies to start-ups, the public sector and non-profits. Salinger Privacy is an Official Training Partner of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP); a fully pre-qualified supplier to the NSW Government; and listed on the Australian Government and Victorian Government Digital Marketplaces. With the recent reforms to the Privacy Act and more to come in the future, joining forces with Salinger Privacy means Helios is ideally positioned to assist organisations with commercial and comprehensive privacy support – all from strategic advisory through to implementation, privacy compliance training and incident response. If you’re looking to establish best-in-class programs that balance privacy commitments with commercial reality, reach out. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g5iHVD83

It’s been a big first year for us here at Helios! From joining forces with Salinger Privacy to helping organisations navigate the latest privacy reforms, we are grateful for all the trust and support our clients, and broader network, has given us in 2024. 2025 is shaping up to be a big year in the world of privacy and data governance, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. For now, we wish you all a fantastic and safe festive season. See you in the new year!

Is your organisation prepared to meet tougher privacy obligations in 2025? Updates to APP 11 from the recently passed Privacy Act reforms require organisations to take administrative steps to protect the personal information they hold. But does everyone know what their obligations are – and how to stay compliant? Uplift your organisation’s privacy practices in 2025 with our Privacy Compliance Training. Our online modules will help all staff understand their legal obligations, putting your organisation in good stead to maintain customer trust and protect your reputation. Our privacy compliance training: - Explains how privacy rules apply in practice – we don’t just quote the law. - Tests that people have understood the message, with a comprehensive assessment. - Includes reports to demonstrate progress, providing assurance about staff completion rates. Our training programs are available off-the-shelf, or we can brand or customise the content for you further. The off-the-shelf modules cover the Australian, NSW or Victorian privacy laws. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dFQCicDY

If you’re planning to level up your privacy knowledge or perhaps knock over an #IAPP certification in the new year, our 2025 training schedule has you covered. We offer a range of short workshops for immediate skills acquisition, IAPP courses to obtain certification, and training covering areas such as managing risks related to artificial intelligence, privacy officer essentials, and broader privacy program design and management. Register here (you’ll also access some of our early bird rates on offer currently): https://lnkd.in/gCWneuiS Questions about what training or certifications may be required for you to navigate privacy in 2025? Please get in touch. 

For those interested in privacy and cyber security, Nov 25 - 29 was the week to be in Melbourne! Our team was at #CyberCon2024, #IAPPANZSummit2024, and our team’s end-of-year get-together. Some highlights from the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) Cyber Conference 2024: · We attended the annual AISA gala and awards event, where colleagues were celebrated for their excellence, leadership, innovation and dedication across a range of award categories. · Our strategic partner, Nicole Stephensen of Ground Up Privacy, spoke about the requirement to take 'reasonable steps' to secure personal information, drawing on her experiences as an expert witness in application of Australian privacy laws. Audience members learned how to apply the 'Privacy Rule of Thumb' (a topic we explored recently here:https://lnkd.in/gScqQiye,) and the kinds of organisational and technical measures businesses can deploy. Nicole also presented insights on protecting personal information throughout its lifecycle, emphasising the importance of leadership, governance and meeting the expectations of the community we serve. We’re excited for what’s ahead in 2025 in this ever-evolving space. Peers & experts: what were your key takeaways?

Last week’s landmark Privacy Act amendment Bill signals a new era for Australian businesses handling data.   With tranche 1 reforms commencing shortly—and the Government committing to more in 2025—the time to understand what this means for your business is now.   We’ll closely monitor the #PrivacyAct reforms and share their implications for businesses in our Helios + Salinger Privacy newsletter. To receive these timely alerts and news straight to your inbox, subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gssAcg_f

Breaking: The Privacy Act ‘tranche 1’ reforms have finally passed both Houses, after the Government tabled amendments to clarify the statutory tort aspects of the POLA Bill. Our Privacy Partner Anna Johnston has outlined all the details here: https://lnkd.in/gfw4CGhp If you’re interested in learning more about what this means for your business, please get in touch. 

That’s a wrap! It was a pleasure to attend the IAPP ANZ Summit in Melbourne and hear so many perspectives and updates in the one space. Our highlight? Today on the last day of the Summit, Helios Privacy Partner, Anna Johnston ran a workshop where she shared the factors to consider when it comes to de-identification. Some key insights Anna shared were: - When it comes to de-identification, you can’t apply privacy or data protection law, or assess project risk, until you first understand the relative merits and limitations of different de-identification techniques.  - De-identification is a process, not a promise: a useful data security strategy, but not a safe legal compliance strategy. - Re-identification risks can come from identity disclosure, attribute disclosure, or individuation - so you need to protect against all three. - Privacy officers need to work hand-in-hand with data and product teams to effectively assess and manage risk. Want to learn more about de-identification? Reach out to Anna Johnston or any of the Helios team. #ANZSummit24

Make a difference in your organisation and in your career with our Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) training course! Designed by the IAPP, this CIPM training course is the world’s first and only certification in privacy program management. Our course will equip you with all the tools and knowledge you need to obtain your certification – and more importantly, to establish, maintain and manage a privacy program across all stages of its lifecycle. Led by expert facilitator Andrea Calleia, the CIPM training course includes: - An environment which includes being able to share first hand experiences and questions with privacy-experienced peers - Guidance from our expert facilitator - IAPP textbook (digital copy + hard copy shipped within Australia and to NZ) - Comprehensive course notes, and sample exam questions, in a Participant Guide (digital copy + hard copy shipped within Australia and to NZ) - Exam voucher, and - IAPP Membership Course dates: 2, 4, 9 and 11 December, 9am to 12:30pm AEDT Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/geqj8pts

Bunnings has recently been found to have breached Australian customers’ privacy by collecting their personal and sensitive information through a facial recognition technology system (‘FRTS’).   The FRTS employed CCTV to capture the faces of every person – likely hundreds of thousands – who entered 63 Bunnings stores in Victoria and New South Wales between November 2018 and November 2021. These images formed a repository enabling comparisons with images of individuals Bunnings had pre-enrolled in a database who had been identified as posing a risk, for example, due to past crime or violent behaviour.   So what was Bunnings’ argument and how did Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind reach her decision?    Our Principal Consultant Melanie Casley unpacks the details of the case here: https://lnkd.in/gteZEzJu