New Zealand Privacy Commissioner Says Child Safety Comes First
The New Zealand Privacy Act “does not stand in the way of protecting children from harm,” Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said in a news release Thursday.
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Responding to a government effort to improve protections against child abuse, Webster said there’s “no legislative barrier to information sharing" when the safety or well-being of a child is at issue. People “sometimes worry about falling foul of the Privacy Act” when sharing such information, the commissioner’s office noted.
“People working with children will have legal protection from liability when they share information because they’re concerned about risk to a child’s safety or wellbeing; unless they share in bad faith,” Webster said.
“It’s important the personal information of children is managed with particular care,” he added. “Good privacy practices help ensure you are sharing the right information, at the right time, with the right people. This ensures the protection of children's wellbeing and safety is prioritised in a privacy protective way. But if it’s urgent to share information to avoid risk of harm to children, this should be the first priority.”