Skip to main content
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
Quick exit
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
Make a complaintUpdate a complaint
Quick exit

Privacy and safety

You’re experiencing family violence and you’re worried about your privacy or safety. Your provider should keep your account secure and your information private. It can also do things to help keep you safe, like a silent number or a new account.

Jump to

Your safety comes first

If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, call 000.

For confidential domestic and family violence support, contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Their trained counsellors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact 1800RESPECT

If you are not ready to seek support right now, you can continue reading this page and come back to these services whenever you need them.

TIPS

How you can work with your provider on privacy and safety

  1. Tell your provider you’re worried about your privacy or safety. You can mention family violence, or say you’re concerned for your safety

  2. Check with your provider who can access your account, and confirm your contact details

  3. Ask your provider to add security, like a password or PIN, or to give you a new number

  4. Tell your provider what would help you feel safe right now

EXPECTATIONS

What we expect your provider to do

If you report a privacy or safety issue, your provider should:

  • Listen and respond

    Your provider should listen to how the issue affects you, take you seriously and tell you what it can do and by when.

  • Look into it properly

    Your provider should tell you how and when it will look into the issue, then share what it finds.

  • Provide safer ways to prove who you are

    If you think someone can get into your account, your provider should tell you about other ways to prove who you are.

  • Protect your information and safety

    Your provider should tell you what it will do and by when.

Ready to make a complaint?

10-20 minutes

Our processGet started

OUR CONSIDERATIONS

We look at what went wrong, what your provider told you, and whether it did enough to keep you safe.

  • What your provider did when you reported the issue

  • If your provider followed its family violence and privacy policies

  • If your provider did enough to keep you safe

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

Depending on your issue, we may ask your provider to...

  • Secure your account

    Add a password or PIN, correct your details or give you a new number.

  • Help keep you safe

    Offer you a silent number or block your number display.

  • Keep your information private

    Make sure it doesn’t share your details with the person using abuse.

  • Apologise and compensate you

    Where it breached your privacy, your provider should apologise. And in some cases should compensate you depending on the impact the breach had on you.

How we've helped others