Theguardian iconTheguardianSep 2, 2026 ~1 min source read

Tech giants are trying to obliterate privacy. Australia has a rare chance to take back part of their power | Lizzie O'Shea

"Pervert glasses" are selling out at Kmart, facial recognition technology is proliferating in our everyday environments, and microtargeting for advertising has filled our algorithms with nonsense and toxic junk. Privacy reform is hugely popular: 93% of Australians say protecting personal information is important to them, and 87% say they are more concerned about their privacy than they were five years ago.

Tech giants are trying to obliterate privacy. Australia has a rare chance to take back part of their power | Lizzie O'Shea
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Useful takeaways from this story.

"Pervert glasses" are selling out at Kmart, facial recognition technology is proliferating in our everyday environments, and microtargeting for advertising has filled our algorithms with nonsense and toxic...

It is practically impossible for us to take personal responsibility for our data footprint, especially in the age of AI.

Privacy reform is hugely popular: 93% of Australians say protecting personal information is important to them, and 87% say they are more concerned about their privacy than they were five years ago.

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The useful part

"Pervert glasses" are selling out at Kmart, facial recognition technology is proliferating in our everyday environments, and microtargeting for advertising has filled our algorithms with nonsense and toxic junk. Privacy reform is hugely popular: 93% of Australians say protecting personal information is important to them, and 87% say they are more concerned about their privacy than they were five years ago. It is practically impossible for us to take personal responsibility for our data footprint, especially in the age of AI.

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  • Australians rate protecting our personal information as their number one priority for AI regulation.

Details worth keeping

'Pervert glasses' are selling out, tick-a-box consent is broken and the spectre of surveillance is invading all aspects of our lives Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A mere five years after the government first started talking about it, new changes have finally been proposed for the Privacy Act.

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