Australia mulls privacy laws after hacking scandal

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

Australia will consider strengthening its privacy laws in the wake of the British phone-hacking scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the government said Thursday.

The proposed changes would give Australians the right to sue over serious breaches of privacy, something that is not guaranteed under current laws, Privacy Minister Brendan O'Connor said.

"Right now there is no general right to privacy in Australia, and that means there's no certainty for anyone wanting to sue for an invasion of their privacy," O'Connor said in a statement. "The News of the World scandal and other recent mass breaches of privacy, both at home and abroad, have put the spotlight on whether there should be such a right."

(snip)
O'Connor told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Thursday that the government is not suggesting the Australian press is guilty of conduct similar to what has happened in the U.K. But he said the uproar over the tabloid's actions has made a debate over the right to privacy necessary.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/australia-mulls-privacy-laws-hacking-scandal-030548599.html