Australia: Digital ID Bill 2023 including data protection regulation was introduced to House of Representatives

On 30 November 2023, the Digital ID Bill 2023 was introduced to the House of Representatives. The Bill introduces a voluntary Accreditation Scheme with cybersecurity and data privacy requirements for accredited Digital ID providers. In particular, the Bill grants individuals rights over their personal data, including the right to privacy, consent before data collection or sharing, data deletion upon request, and protection against data profiling or unauthorised marketing. The Bill imposes responsibilities on data processors and controllers, requiring compliance with privacy laws, explicit consent for biometric data use, and mandatory destruction of such data after verification. Accredited entities must notify the relevant authorities of data breaches, restrict the disclosure of unique identifiers, and adhere to conditions on data collection and sharing.