The Australian privacy watchdog is currently investigating eight data breaches including Optus and Medibank. According to the watchdog , these data breaches could stretch into 2024. It is not possible for the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to handle all cases together.
The Australian Information commissioner is responsible for handling privacy issues of both Australian government agencies and private sector organisations. OAIC has requested both Medibank and Optus to submit documents, however, the documents are expected to be received by the end of the calendar year.
The OAIC said,“It is difficult to make judgements on how long an investigation will take as there are a number of variables.”Meanwhile, to lessen the burden OAIC had transferred individual privacy complaints about Optus data breach to the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman. Section 50 of the Privacy Act allows the watchdog to transfer complaints to other bodies.
Recent statistics show five data breaches over the period have impacted almost 1 million people. “In addition to the Optus and Medibank investigations, the OAIC is investigating the privacy compliance of six entities in relation to data breaches in the health, finance, telecommunications and not for profit sectors,” the office said. However, OAIC did not mention the names of the parties.