Civic Data has appointed Paul Broomfield as senior consultant to lead its new Western Australia operation as local marketers face unprecedented challenges to their digital capabilities and investments.
The convergence of Australian privacy reforms, Western Australia’s State Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing (PRIS) legislation, and last week’s clear guidance and statement from the Australian Privacy Commissioner on ‘tracking technologies should not sidestep privacy obligations’,
Broomfield’s appointment comes amid rising concerns for marketing and privacy leaders alike, such as the convergence of Australian privacy reforms, Western Australia’s State PRIS legislation, and last week’s clear guidance and statement from the Australian Privacy Commissioner on ‘tracking technologies should not sidestep privacy obligations’.
Jason Fonseca, Civic Data’s executive director of technology, said: “Understanding that the Perth market is underserved in what is already a complex and talent-starved industry, Civic Data is committed to bridging this gap.”
“Perth businesses face a unique challenge in maintaining effective digital customer experiences while navigating multiple regulatory frameworks, particularly as the OAIC’s guidance reveals many standard marketing technology implementations already breach existing privacy principles.”
This comes as Federal privacy reforms are set to introduce a statutory tort, increased penalties of up to 50 million for serious breaches and a new set of administrative penalties, fundamentally changing how Digital Marketing & Targeting Technologies can and do handle customer data. WA’s PRIS Act is also introducing new Information Privacy Principles and mandatory breach notifications specifically for public sector data sharing, affecting both government agencies and their commercial partners.
Adding to these challenges, the Privacy Commissioner announced last week a focus on “addressing broader issues raised by tracking tools that have become commonplace on websites,” particularly those transferring sensitive information. The OAIC’s new guidance makes it clear that common marketing practices, such as the use of tracking pixels and data matching using hashed emails, constitute collection of personal information and must comply with Australian Privacy Principles. Many current implementations fail to meet these requirements. This scrutiny comes as many organisations face the prospect of pausing targeted advertising activities while adapting to new privacy requirements.
With the OAIC signalling more aggressive enforcement of existing privacy laws, organisations cannot wait for new reforms before addressing these issues. Common technical implementations like tag management systems and tracking pixels often collect and share personal information in ways that violate current privacy obligations.
“Perth businesses are caught in a perfect storm,” Broomfield said of the state of privacy reform. “Even basic infringement notices from the OAIC, which can now be issued without court proceedings, will impact day-to-day marketing operations. With penalties up to $66,000 for listed companies, these can be triggered by common marketing technology practices – from analytics implementations to customer experience tools.
“Almost every digital touchpoint involves collecting, sharing, or activating personal information, creating multiple points of compliance risk. Our audits routinely uncover marketing technologies collecting and sharing sensitive information without proper governance – from health conditions in search queries to personal details in abandoned forms – practices that already breach current privacy principles.”
Broomfield added: “However, this doesn’t mean dismantling your marketing technology stack. Having worked extensively with marketing platforms and privacy frameworks, I’m particularly aligned with Civic Data’s proven methodologies for navigating this complexity.
“Together, we help businesses implement clear governance frameworks that maintain effective measurement while building trust through privacy compliance. It’s about turning these challenges into opportunities for better, more trusted customer relationships.”
–
Top image: Paul Broomfield