Australian companies to face fines of $50m for data breaches

In wake of Optus and Medicare leaks, serious or repeated breaches of customer information will attract heavy penalties under new legislation

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Companies that fail to adequately protect people’s data could face fines of $50m or more under new legislation to be introduced next week.

After Optus and Medibank reported significant breaches of customer data, including sensitive health information, the Albanese government was now moving to increase penalties for serious or repeated breaches of customer data.

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