The Credential Protection Register was set up after thehigh-profile 2022 Optus data breach,allowing exposed Optus customers to check if their personal credentials were being used maliciously. The government says it has blocked 300,000 hacking attempts.
Now Labor is expanding the program to allow the broader community,including those who have never been caught up in a data breach,to proactively check if their details have been compromised via the app.
“The register enables people who have had their personal details stolen to quickly lock down their information to prevent their data being used for identity crime and theft,” Dreyfus said in a statement.
“This in turn disrupts black market sales of stolen personal documents and illegal activities that rely on those stolen credentials including scams,money laundering and fraud.
“The mobile application will allow an individual to be notified,in real time,if someone is using their identity without their consent.”
The app,which is scheduled to be operational by the end of the year,would allow individuals to know in real time if someone has used their passport to update their details at the Australian Taxation Office,for example. In this situation,the individual could immediately act to counter the fraud.