Telstra warns public trust will crumble unless access to data is limited

Telco says diverse agencies accessing data through legal loophole need to follow the same process as law enforcement bodies

Telstra has warned that public trust in the security of their data will be eroded if government agencies continue to be allowed access to it without appropriate authorisation.

More than 60 agencies, including local councils, state coroners, Centrelink, the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, have been accessing data using a loophole in the Telecommunications Act that allows them to bypass restrictions in the 2015 data retention legislation, under which access was restricted to only 20 agencies, primarily police and other law enforcement bodies.