McGowan Government fails to protect personal information of passengers with another serious data breach

Aug 17, 2022 | Libby Mettam MLA, State News

The McGowan Government have overseen another serious data breach as part of its health response to Monkeypox.


A member of the public has raised the alarm about the sharing of personal details of passengers on an international flight to Perth with a patient carrying the Monkeypox virus.


An excel spreadsheet of the names of 47 passengers with details such as name, date of birth, passport number were emailed to passengers who were onboard the flight.


“The McGowan Government has a poor record when it comes to protecting confidential information, as raised by the Auditor-General earlier this year.


“It is deeply concerning that private information appears to have been emailed to passengers on this flight.


“This alleged breach is completely unacceptable and has undoubtedly compromised the safety and security of those passengers and those affected have every right to feel aggrieved.


“It’s shocking that despite warnings that controls needed to be strengthened to ensure sensitive data was properly protected, we have another suspected breach of this magnitude.


“It raises concerns about who else has access to this information and warrants a full and thorough investigation into both the breach and the wider processes within the department when handling confidential information.”

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