Australia has announced it will impose stricter cybersecurity regulations on telecommunications companies after the personal data of nearly 10 million people was stolen.
Optus, the country’s second largest wireless operator, announced that the data of 9.8 million customers was compromised. However, current laws prevent Optus from being penalized despite this massive data breach.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that this incident caused a great awakening in the sector and said that they are considering making changes to privacy laws so that banks can protect their customers faster.
The Australian Federal Police is investigating allegations that stolen data has been sold and is co-operating with law enforcement agencies overseas in the process.