Source: Privacy Commissioner
By Michael Webster, Privacy Commissioner
Originally published on the New Zealand Herald 3 October 2024. One of the greatest risks to privacy in the workplace could be sitting next to you – or it could even be you. Employee browsing or the unauthorised access and misuse of personal information is one of the most common privacy breaches. I also believe its one of the least understood or reported on, as required by the Privacy Act. New Zealand is a small place and theres a good chance a familiar name will crop up in a database or on a file at work and it can prove very tempting to have a look. However, a sneaky peek isnt a harmless case of nosiness; its inappropriate and can be a breach of the principles underpinning the Privacy Act.