Privacy

Information about most Australian landline numbers is publicly available. However, some consumers ask for a silent line service, meaning that their number is not listed in public directories or displayed to the receiver of any calls. We can help with your complaints about problems with a silent line.

We also deal with complaints about how a provider has managed your personal information, such as your contact details or credit information. To resolve your privacy complaints, we’ll consider the law, good industry practice and fairness.

Types of privacy complaints

We deal with complaints about privacy such as providers:

not providing a silent line after agreeing to
accidentally publishing or disclosing an unlisted number
not activating calling number display blocking for a silent line
sharing a consumer’s personal information without their permission
not letting a consumer access their personal information
keeping personal information that’s incorrect.

What you should expect from your provider: the law and industry practice

Your unlisted numbers should be kept private

Providers must not disclose an unlisted number or address, and must automatically block calling number display for unlisted landline numbers. Any disclosures should be fixed as soon as possible. We may treat complaints about disclosure as urgent.

Providers can only share your personal information for certain reasons

Generally, providers can only use and share your personal information for the purpose for which it was collected, or in ways you would reasonably expect.

You have a right to access your own personal information

Generally, a provider that has personal information about you must share that information with you when you ask.

More information

For more detailed information read our guidance on Personal information (Australian Privacy Principles) and Silent lines.

Other guides for Privacy and safety

Tips to help consumers protect their telco account from fraudsters

Unauthorised access of telco accounts

We deal with complaints about providers not taking proper care of your telco account and personal information. This may include by allowing others to access or make changes to your telco account without your authority, such as allowing SIM swaps or adding new purchases.

Help for phone and internet consumers experiencing family violence

Threats, harassment and scams

We deal with complaints about providers not following the correct process to respond when their service was used to contact you with a bomb threat, a threat of serious injury or kidnapping, a threat to public safety or an extortion demand, and unwelcome calls. We also deal with complaints about providers granting third parties’ access to telecommunications accounts without authority. We cannot deal with complaints about fraudsters or scammers and their behaviour.

We worked with Sparrow Net to improve its account security process

Complaint

Existing account security process was not always suitable for consumers who were experiencing family violence

Outcome

Improvement of account security processes to prevent consumer’s personal information being accessed or disclosed without authority

Internet

Mobile phone

Systemic investigation – Consumers could not report urgent complaints

Complaint

We identified an increase in urgent complaints from consumers who could not contact Mode Telco to report service issues

Outcome

Mode Telco redeployed staff from its retail outlets to contact centres and recruited new staff, after which, we observed a significant decrease in urgent complaints

Home phone

Internet

Mobile phone

This page was last updated on

30th Aug 2021