Government plans to bolster measures against misuse of breached identity credentials by introducing a mobile application that quickly notifies Australians of any misuse detected.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus disclosed that an additional $11 million would be allocated to the credential protection register in the upcoming federal budget. This register, established in response to the Optus data breach, aims to prevent the exploitation of compromised identity documents and data.
Dreyfus emphasized the significance of the register in allowing individuals whose personal details have been compromised to swiftly secure their information, thwarting identity-related crimes such as scams, money laundering, and fraud.
Previously injected with $3.3 million in funding last December, the register is now set to receive an additional $11 million. This funding is earmarked not only for enhancing the register but also for the development of a complementary mobile application and real-time alerts for misuse.
The proposed mobile app is poised to revolutionize how individuals manage their identity credentials, providing instant notifications in cases of unauthorized usage. This empowerment enables individuals to promptly take action by either authorizing or deactivating the use of their credentials for verification purposes.
By affording Australians full control over the usage of their identity credentials, these advancements aim to curb illegal activities exploiting stolen identities.
This initiative comes on the heels of a recent revelation that the utilization of an identity theft support service due to compromised Commonwealth credentials has been steadily rising by an average of 26 percent annually since FY20-21.
