Australian Privacy Commissioner - Timothy Pilgrim.
The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has contacted the country’s three largest telcos following allegations that customer data was available for sale online by an Indian security company.
The announcement comes following an investigation by Fairfax Media, which alleged that a Mumbai-based security firm, AI Solutions, was charging up to $1000 for the private information of customers of Optus, Telstra and Vodafone.
“I am concerned about allegations that personal information of Australian telecommunication customers is being offered for sale online,” Pilgrim said in a statement. “My office is making enquiries with Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone to determine what further action I may take in this matter.
“These allegations, and the community response they have generated, are a reminder that Australian customers expect businesses to handle their personal information in line with Australian law no matter where they operate,” he said.
All three telcos have said they are aware of the problem and have invested in security measures to counter it.
The statement comes a day after reports surfaced from the UK that cheap Android phones were loaded with firmware that has been sending text messages and other information to China.
