Vodafone 'hacking' of reporter's phone must be investigated, Greens senator says
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Version 0 of 1. Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam has urged the Australian Federal Police and Australian Communications and Media Authority to investigate Vodafone over a serious privacy breach in which a journalist’s phone records were accessed. Fairfax journalist Natalie O’Brien had her phone records accessed by a Vodafone employee in 2011, shortly after she reported on a major data breach the company had suffered. Vodafone has since admitted the breach occurred but denied any wrongdoing. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and Acma have both released statements acknowledging they have been made aware of the breach, but neither organisation has committed to an investigation. Under the Telecommunications Act it can be an offence for a telecommunications provider or an employee to use or disclose information relating to the contents of phone records. “It’s flat out a really interesting test of whether the laws that protect privacy in Australia are actually going to be upheld by the regulators,” Ludlam told Guardian Australia. “There’s two issues. One will be whether the Acma’s directions were upheld. It’s not clear to me whether they were. Secondly, whether the federal police are intending to investigate the company for illegal access of phone records. “If there’s a flat-out black-and-white breach of the Telecommunications Act, particularly for a case as serious as this, I’d be very perplexed if they’re not investigating it.” He said that while Vodafone was facing scrutiny for this particular breach, the case was an important illustration to put all companies on notice about their privacy obligations. In December 2011 Acma gave formal directions to Vodafone that require it to take certain steps to improve its data practices. In the event the organisation were to investigate and find their directions had been breached, they could face heavy financial penalties. In a statement released on Monday, acting information commissioner and privacy commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said the OAIC had been aware of “an allegation about inappropriate access to an individuals’ telephone records in May 2015.” The statement continued: “The OAIC has been in contact with Vodafone to make inquiries about the allegation. The OAIC has also been liaising with the Australian Communications and Media Authority about these allegations, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the two agencies.” Acma released a statement and said it was aware of the allegations. A spokeswoman said: “The Acma has not previously investigated these allegations. “The Acma is in contact with both the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and Vodafone regarding the matter. “At this stage, the Acma has no further comment to make.” A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police said that Acma was the lead agency “in relation to this matter”. The Media Entertainments and Arts Alliance has urged the OAIC to initiate an investigation into the incident. Former Vodafone chief executive Bill Morrow faced questioning from Labor senator Stephen Conroy about the breach in the standing committee on the national broadband network, and said he was unaware of the allegations during his time at the company in 2012. |