Consumer privacy rights now.

Date: 23 January 2007

Philip Ruddocks late entry into the debate on data privacy in offshore call centres, especially in India, is too little too late says Len Cooper, Secretary of the Communication Workers Union. The Howard government has actively encouraged Australian business to offshore operations in pursuit of lower wages and higher profits. It was somewhat inevitable that a 'black market' in personal information would be the end result. Identity theft is a booming international business said Cooper.

India has adopted a very weak industry standard in regards to data protection and privacy. The assurances given to the Federal Attorney General by the Indian government are an even weaker response to the significant concerns of Australians, and who has access to their personal, detailed information. Legislative change is also urgently needed in Australia to discourage the offshoring of data to low wage countries. The government cannot simply blame others when they have enacted legislation to protect the interests of big business.

In the last five years a number of large, well known corporations have had to go into damage control as the private data of their customers was traded for cash. Banking giants HSBC & Citibank have already had to deal with widespread theft of customer data that has resulted in financial loss from customer accounts.

Offshore call centre operators have been giving empty assurances for a least three years that they will sharpen security measures in regard to customer data, but still the problems continue.
It is fast coming to a point where consumers will choose businesses based on where their data is held and how secure that data is says Len Cooper. Current Australian legislation provides absolutely no choice to Australians as to whether or not a company can send their information offshore. While other countries impose the requirement that customers must consent to having their personal, sensitive data sent offshore.

Indian workers are no different to Australian workers, they have the same aspirations, but it is simply not acceptable that Australian consumers have to pay for the pursuit of increasing profit of large multi-national corporations at the expense of Australian consumers.

22 January 2007

For comment contact:
Len Cooper on Mobile: 0438 389302
or Val Butler on 0408 766444

For further information

Contact:	Len Cooper
Union:	CEPU Victorian branch
Phone:	03 9387 3703
Contact Mobile:	0438 389302
WWW:	http://www.cepu.asn.au

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