Privacy Commissioner Statement on the Service NSW cyber incident - September 2020
The Privacy Commissioner has been updated by the Department of Customer Services regarding the extent of the data breach resulting from a cyber incident earlier this year and the actions being taken by Service NSW to notify and support customers affected by the breach.
The Privacy Commissioner approved a Public Interest Direction on 5 August 2020 to enable a time limited data exchange process between Service NSW, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and the NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM).
The purpose of the data exchange is to provide Service NSW with up-to-date contact details of customers impacted by the cyber incident.
In particular, the data exchange process will facilitate notification and provision of support to individuals, allowing them to take prompt action to secure their personal information.
The Direction will expire on 31 January 2021 and requires Service NSW to appoint an independent auditor to assess compliance with the Direction, and report to the Privacy Commissioner on compliance with the Direction.
The Privacy Commissioner will continue to provide advice and assistance to Service NSW in relation to the privacy impacts arising from the incident, in order to provide the best outcomes for people affected.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
IPC media team on 0435 961 691 or email ccadigital@ipc.nsw.gov.au
For further information about the IPC visit our website at www.ipc.nsw.gov.au
About the NSW Privacy Commissioner
Samantha Gavel was appointed as NSW Privacy Commissioner on 4 September 2017. Her role is to promote public awareness and understanding of privacy rights in NSW, as well as provide information, support, advice and assistance to agencies and the general public.
About the Information and Privacy Commission:
The Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC) is an independent statutory authority that administers New South Wales’ legislation dealing with privacy and access to government information. The IPC supports the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner in fulfilling their legislative responsibilities and functions and to ensure individuals and agencies can access consistent information, guidance and coordinated training about information access and privacy matters.
Download a copy of the Statement here.
Please note since June 2021, the IPC media team email address has changed. Please send all media enquiries to communications@ipc.nsw.gov.au. All emails sent to the old CCA Digital address will be forwarded to the new address until switch over completion in December 2021.
