Site Changes

On 1 November 2010 the Office of the Privacy Commissioner was integrated into the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and a new website established at www.oaic.gov.au.

Note 1: Major changes to the Privacy Act 1988 will come into effect in March 2014. Agencies, businesses and not for profits need to start preparing for these changes. For more information go to our privacy law reform page at www.oaic.gov.au
Note 2: From 12 March 2013 content is no longer being added to, or amended, on this site, consequently some information may be out of date. For new privacy content visit the www.oaic.gov.au website.

What can I do if someone posts information about me on a social networking site that I want removed?

First, ask the person to take it down.

If they refuse, there are other steps you can take.

If you are a school student and the other person is a student at your school, you can report it to a teacher you trust or your school counsellor. Schools generally take bullying very seriously and may be able to speak to the person on your behalf.
You can also contact the social networking site and ask them to remove the information. Most social networking sites have a grievance procedure in place, and are interested in keeping their sites friendly and their users happy.

And remember: treat others the way you wish to be treated. If someone asks you to take down a photograph of them that you have posted on your MySpace page, take it down. It might not seem like a bad photo to you, but different people have different comfort zones when it comes to their privacy.

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