Chien, Dalvin; Lancaster, Jacob; Stoianoff, Natalie; Dombkins, Peter; Kemmery, Tomas --- "A note from the editors" [2021] ANZCompuLawJl 2; (2021) 93 Computers & Law 2

• A note from the editors

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A note from the editors

With the relaunch of AUSCL in July 2020, so too was the society’s journal – continuing a proud tradition covering 39 years of publication.

As we reflect on 2020, recent events in Washington DC and the subsequent ban of US President Trump from numerous social media platforms have highlighted the potential dangers of social media and, to a large degree, the perils of algorithmic decision-making and targeted advertising based upon patterns of behaviour and social media usage.

The articles in this journal postulate and reframe this problem in different ways and examine the role of Australian privacy regulations in the context of these perils. Although the authors have differed in their proposed solutions, a unifying theme is the need to protect those who are the most vulnerable, and that transparency is paramount to achieving this. Privacy protections should be built into the design of various governance frameworks, as well as other items such as IOT device design and – most presciently for democratic countries around the globe – electoral processes and systems.

A number of authors have queried whether the plethora of Australian legislation designed to protect individuals is fit-for-purpose, and whether it is time for an overhaul of key legislation such as the Privacy Act and workplace surveillance legislation. Further resourcing and the expansion of rights of the regulator have also been suggested. The central themes from these articles make for useful reading, especially in light of the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry and the impending reform to privacy legislation.

This Issue 93 of the journal also includes a publication of Issue 92, which was unpublished. We express our gratitude to all those who have contributed to these Issues.

Dalvin Chien

Jacob Lancaster

Natalie Stoianoff

Peter Dombkins (Managing Editor)

Tomas Kemmery

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