The Productivity Commission is investigating the costs and benefits of increasing the availability and use of private and public data by individuals and organisations, including consumers’ access to data about themselves. Increasing the availability and use of data could stimulate innovation and competition, leading to increased choice and better decision-making for consumers. ACCAN broadly supports the Productivity Commission’s inquiry but outlines a number of concerns and recommendations in its submission.
These are:
- Increased availability of consumers’ data about themselves in an open, accessible format will empower consumers to make better decisions about the products and services they choose. So that potential benefits and consumer engagement can be maximised, tools and guidance that enable individuals to use their own data effectively need to be developed.
- Increased data availability also presents opportunities for third party websites to help consumers choose the right product or service. ACCAN recommends that safe and secure ways to give third parties direct access to consumer data are investigated, on the condition that genuinely informed consent is given.
- More data availability also gives rise to privacy risks for consumers. The Government should examine the risks of consumers being identified through their anonymised data (re‑identification), and issues surrounding consent to the collection and uses of personal information.
Our submission also addresses ACCAN’s opposition to mandatory credit reporting in the absence of consistent responsible lending and credit assessment practices.
