Meta Australia’s Submission to the Attorney-General’s Department Review of Privacy Act 2022
Meta supports the modernisation of Australia’s privacy framework, a task meticulously undertaken by the Attorney-General’s Department review of the Privacy Act. We’ve engaged constructively with the government over the last three years and welcome the opportunity to weigh in on the process.
We know the best policy advancements are born from the collaboration of diverse stakeholders. As part of our contribution, Meta’s Public Policy Director Melinda Claybaugh, who is based in Washington DC, concluded a three-day trip to Sydney and Canberra where she met with policymakers and advertisers to provide Meta’s feedback and perspective on the direction of the proposed framework.
Several of Melinda’s discussions centred on the economic impact of personalised services. She cited findings from new research commissioned by Meta and released by research think tank, Thoughtlab, that found that digital technologies enabled small, medium and enterprise businesses (SMBs) in Australia to generate $306 billion in additional revenue. Respondents cited that the top technologies used to help them with this transformation include email (67 percent), social media (66 percent) and messaging apps / systems (55 percent).
The research also found that a key component of an organisation’s digital journey is the use of technology and social media to personalise and improve the customer experience and interaction. Seventy-seven percent of the SMEs surveyed reported that our platforms helped people learn about their businesses and seventy-six percent reported that our platforms enabled them to market and sell their products and services.
As industry, academics, policymakers and regulators work to update the Privacy Act, we must all ensure we do so in ways that enhance privacy protections without jeopardising the benefits of data-driven experiences for Australian consumers and businesses.
Read Meta Australia’s Executive Summary to the Attorney-General’s Department Review into Privacy Act 2022.
