16
AFP promises ‘swift action’ after Albanese, Ley and Morrison’s private phone numbers exposed online
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2025
16 points (86.4% liked)
Australia
4673 readers
532 users here now
A place to discuss Australia and important Australian issues.
Before you post:
If you're posting anything related to:
- The Environment, post it to Aussie Environment
- Politics, post it to Australian Politics
- World News/Events, post it to World News
- A question to Australians (from outside) post it to Ask an Australian
If you're posting Australian News (not opinion or discussion pieces) post it to Australian News
Rules
This community is run under the rules of aussie.zone. In addition to those rules:
- When posting news articles use the source headline and place your commentary in a separate comment
Banner Photo
Congratulations to @Tau@aussie.zone who had the most upvoted submission to our banner photo competition
Recommended and Related Communities
Be sure to check out and subscribe to our related communities on aussie.zone:
- Australian News
- World News (from an Australian Perspective)
- Australian Politics
- Aussie Environment
- Ask an Australian
- AusFinance
- Pictures
- AusLegal
- Aussie Frugal Living
- Cars (Australia)
- Coffee
- Chat
- Aussie Zone Meta
- bapcsalesaustralia
- Food Australia
- Aussie Memes
Plus other communities for sport and major cities.
https://aussie.zone/communities
Moderation
Since Kbin doesn't show Lemmy Moderators, I'll list them here. Also note that Kbin does not distinguish moderator comments.
Additionally, we have our instance admins: @lodion@aussie.zone and @Nath@aussie.zone
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I hate how there's only mention of removing their numbers from the AFP.
Why do we allow these lists and practices to exist in the first place?
It's high time we actually start regulating data collection and use to something resembling common sense, and not allow anyone to "consent-wall" their services behind terms and conditions that allow for inappropriate collection and use of data.
I shouldn't have to agree to marketing messages when I order dinner via a QR menu. I shouldn't have to give Meta access to all my contact in order to use WhatsApp (I don't, by using a work profile with no contacts on it, but this is a workaround), etc.
Time for some reason consumer protections made for the modern age, and not this silly tinkering around the edges with having them disclose how they use your data, maybe, with barely any consequences when they lose it all (see, Optus and other companies, many, many times).
Where are the fines? Where are the regulations?
I'm sick of this.
Legally you shouldn't. Privacy act actually says that data requested should only be of the kind " reasonably necessary for a function or activity." So no, you don't have to give your mobile or email to buy a fucking toaster or burger.
People and companies are just woefully fucken ignorant and don't enforce or complain. I've gotten into it with a few sales reps who have been shittily snarky at me not giving them my post code or mobile just because i wanted a fucking jaffle
Well, when the regulator goes "have you complained to the company yet??m" as a standard first step before you can make a report, you know nothing is getting enforced.
Optus, for example, has gotten extremely small fines.
Nothing is going to change unless the cost is higher than the profit.
We as individual consumers can do very little by ourselves.
You don't "have to" but you often do, if you don't want to make your life a pain in the arse.
It's basically take it or leave it. And I just don't think that's good enough.