Investigation finds that the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing failed to take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of personal information and to protect personal information from unauthorised disclosure

The report: https://ovic.vic.gov.au/regulatory-action/investigation-into-the-use-of-chatgpt-by-a-child-protection-worker/

Investigation into the use of ChatGPT by a Child Protection worker

In December 2023, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) reported a privacy incident to the Office of the Information Commissioner (OVIC), explaining that a Child Protection worker had used ChatGPT when drafting a Protection Application Report (PA Report). The report had been submitted to the Children’s Court for a case concerning a young child whose parents had been charged in relation to sexual offences.

Despite its popularity, there are a range of privacy risks associated with the use of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. Most relevant in the present circumstances are risks related to inaccurate personal information and unauthorised disclosure of personal information.

After conducting preliminary inquiries with DFFH, the Privacy and Data Protection Deputy Commissioner commenced an investigation under section 8C(2)(e) of the Privacy and Data Protection (PDP) Act with a view to deciding whether to issue a compliance notice to DFFH under section 78 of that Act.

OVIC’s investigation considered whether the Department took reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of personal information and to protect personal information it holds from misuse, as required by the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Information Privacy Principles 3.1 and 4.1.

The full investigation report:

https://ovic.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/DFFH-ChatGPT-investigation-report-20240924.pdf

I assumed it was well known.

“We also allege that in many cases both Woolworths and Coles had already planned to later place the products on a “prices dropped” or “down down” promotion before the price spike, and implemented the temporary price spike for the purpose of establishing a higher “was” price.

Direct audio link. (To conveniently allow listening at higher speeds if your device supports that.)

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/2962218

Source.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/22774303

The state is grappling with the legacy of a surgeon who allegedly mutilated an Aboriginal man's remains.

Council elections may not the be most exciting but don't be like me a few years ago and forget they're on until after all the polling booths close...

Archived link

Several big battery projects in Australia vital for storing renewable energy to meet the nation’s climate goals are highly likely to be using materials sourced through the forced labour of Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic groups in China, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) research has found.

ASPI has examined the supply chains for big battery projects across various Australian states and found that, even when the batteries are sourced from US-based companies, critical components are still obtained from Chinese suppliers. These suppliers carry well-documented risks of involvement in human rights abuses.

Australia needs big batteries because its renewable energy plans require storage for intermittent sources such as wind, solar and hydro. That’s why state and territory governments are pouring billions of dollars into battery energy storage systems (BESS), also known as big batteries.

However, most of the global battery supply is controlled by companies based in the People’s Republic of China and is dependent on raw materials mined and processed in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region (XUAR). Two of the largest companies that supply batteries and lithium cells for batteries—Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and EVE—are used in Australian projects in spite of having been reported to be implicated in grave human rights violations, notably forced labour of Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic groups in the manufacturing and processing of raw materials. In a damning 2022 report, the United Nations stated that such violations might constitute crimes against humanity.