Australians able to opt out of targeted ads and erase their data under proposed privacy reforms

Australians would gain greater control of their personal information, including the ability to opt out of targeted ads, erase their data and sue for serious breaches of privacy, under a proposal to the Albanese government.

On Thursday the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will release a review conducted by his department into modernisation of the Privacy Act which calls to expand its remit to small businesses and add new safeguards for use of data by political parties.

Although the document is not government policy, in January Dreyfus told Guardian Australia the right to sue for privacy breaches and European-style reforms such as the right to be forgotten would be considered for the next tranche of legislation.

In 2022 the Albanese government passed a bill increasing penalties for companies that fail to protect customer data in the wake of major data breaches at telco Optus and health insurer Medibank.

The review suggested that consent should be required for collection and use of precise geolocation tracking data.

Breach of privacy could prove controversial for media companies which fear the right to sue can provide the wealthy and powerful further legal weapons to constrain freedom of the press.