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Australia has formally recognized the importance of digital identity and has raised the issue of reciprocal rights and duties between the government and its citizens. Australia is the first country to articulate digital citizenship in these terms. This paper considers the respective rights and duties of government and citizens that could be included in a digital citizenship charter, and the likely legal implications. The paper explores these aspects in relation to digital identity because of its increasing commercial and legal importance. The author argues that considering the consequences for individuals, the right to identity, as an international fundamental human right, should now be recognized and protected in relation to digital identity. The argument is presented that recognition and protection of this right is an essential component of a model of accountable and responsible digital citizenship. While the paper uses the Australian concept of digital citizenship as the basis for the discussion, the issues are relevant to all jurisdictions implementing e-government initiatives that require an individual to use digital identity for transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer information and its communication in the digital space has undergone a paradigm shift in the past decade. Online reviews are one form of consumer information which is gaining increasing commercial value and consumer influence. Retailers, marketers, PR firms, competitors and commercial online review providers are all implicated in exploiting this situation through the strategic creation and dissemination of fake online reviews. Recent studies suggest that fake online review prevalence is escalating and representing a growing problem in terms of online informational accuracy and potentially, market regulation. The UK Advertising Standards Authority has already found against TripAduisor in this regard and other ubiquitous, highly popular review platforms are increasingly being examined by regulators for review accuracy as well. This paper considers fake online reviews and their potentials to mislead consumers, breach consumer laws and to undermine market efficacy. An examination of Australian law reveals that misleading and deceptive conduct and false testimonials in the form of fake online reviews are potentially actionable and that cases are starting to emerge which justify regulatory action. The paper also considers potential legal, technical and industry solutions, such as mandating best practice fake review detection and increasing enforcement and consumer education actions. The author concludes with the view that whilst the online environment is infinitely evolving and challenging, Australian consumer law is presently adequate to the task - provided that deficiencies in legal enforcement, fake review detection and consumer awareness are proactively addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online behavioural advertising (OBA) comes to consumers at a price. Often unknowingly, people deliver up commercially-valuable personal information as a condition of online user experience, functionality and access. Websites are increasingly tracking user behaviours for commercial purposes and social media derives its income largely from data collection and advertising targeted to the personal disclosures and behavioural attributes which are its data-production mainstay. In this context, consumers face a plethora of information collection practices, all designed to generate data analytics including inferential and predictive profiling to create a ‘digital identity’ for OBA purposes. In this subterranean exchange, consumers are economically redefined as data subjects and advertising targets; a reframing which is perhaps why the OBA industry faces a crisis in consumer concern, both as to privacy and trust. This paper proposes that the regulatory control of OBA in Australia is in disarray. Consumer ignorance of online privacy management and OBA practices is demonstrable. Industry transparency, disclosure, consent processes and compliance practices are questionable. Regulator interest is minimal, industry self-regulation is weak and consumer technical ability and personal responsibility is a last fragile line of defence. Data breaches are ubiquitous in a crowded and poorly-audited supply chain, and entail significant adverse consumer consequences. Yet despite these serious concerns, Australian regulators are failing to respond to OBA issues, either through mandating greater industry disclosure or through regulatory action. The author seeks to expose these weaknesses in calling for consumer and privacy regulators to take more meaningful action to better protect consumers' interests online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the relatively new phenomenon of online child exploitation -- an important area of criminological and policy concern - it is difficult to obtain long term trend data on reported convictions. Existing legislative and prosecution-based approaches, while important, are unlikely to be adequate. This analysis of the legislative and prosecution-based responses in five Commonwealth countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and United Kingdom), highlights the need for clear national and international definitions as the lack of consistency in the international legislative environment creates opportunities for sexual exploitation of children. To provide a multi-faceted and non-prosecutorial approach to address online child exploitation including the commercial exploitation of children, this paper identifies five potential research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]