In December 2001, the Federal Government introduced sweeping changes to the privacy laws. These laws establish the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) as minimum privacy standards for the private sector including small businesses.

Furthermore, new Australian legislation relating to spam - the Spam Act 2003 - came into effect on 10 April 2004. It is now illegal to send, or cause to be sent, 'unsolicited commercial electronic messages'.

The penalties are stiff and a number of major Australian companies have already been fined.

We provide a sophisticated and industry focused Privacy & SPAM advisory service. This assists our clients in identifying and maintaining their compliance obligations whilst minimising the impact that the new legal regimes and applicable industry codes of practice have on the way our clients do business.

Our Privacy & SPAM services include legal and commercial advice in respect of:

• Address harvesting software
• Compliance solutions and compliance programs
• Industry Codes of Practice & Self-Regulation
• Lotteries & Gaming including Trade & Consumer Promotions
• Marketing Campaigns and use of 'opt-in' databases
• Mobile marketing campaigns
• Privacy policies
• Viral marketing campaigns
• Website privacy statements

For further information on our Privacy & SPAM services, contact our office on (02) 8221 0933 or email us on info@vmsolicitors.com.au