Liverpool City Council is facing mounting outrage following alarming allegations about its handling of sensitive ratepayer information. A recent incident involving a lost external hard drive containing personal data of approximately 3,877 residents has ignited concerns over the council’s data protection practices. While officials claim that no passwords or financial details were compromised, the decision to store such sensitive information on an external device is highly questionable and raises serious concerns about the council’s commitment to safeguarding residents’ data.
New Revelations: Alarming Access to Private Information
In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that council employees can access ratepayer information without leaving a record of who at council has acessesed it by searching for it in a certain way. This means that council staff could potentially view private details without leaving a trace, raising severe privacy and accountability concerns.
A spokesperson for the council acknowledged that such access is technically possible but failed to clarify how this alarming practice will be addressed or provide a timeline for implementing necessary safeguards.
Under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act), agencies are mandated to protect personal information from unauthorised access and maintain records of who accesses such information. Specifically, Section 12 of the Act states:
“An agency must take reasonable steps to protect personal information held by it from misuse, loss, or unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.”
Moreover, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 require that personal information be secured against misuse and that individuals should have access to their data upon request. If the lost hard drive contained information that could lead to serious harm, the council may also be obligated under the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Public Outrage and Demand for Accountability
The council’s failure to address these critical issues has sparked widespread outrage among residents, who are rightfully demanding transparency and accountability. Councillor Peter Ristevski voiced his concerns, stating:
“This is unacceptable, and I will be conducting my own research into what protection mechanisms ratepayers have in protecting their privacy. I know as a fact that the Liberal Mayor has been harassing local residents by having people visit their homes and intimidating them if they have made negative comments against him. I’m happy to go on record about this, and this is unacceptable.”
The lack of a clear plan to rectify the situation and no indication of how long a fix might take only deepens the mistrust in local governance. Residents are urged to remain vigilant about their personal information as they await answers from the council. The community deserves to know how the council plans to safeguard their data moving forward.
As Liverpool City Council grapples with these alarming allegations, the public is left questioning the very integrity of its data protection practices. The council must act decisively and transparently to restore confidence and ensure that such breaches do not happen again.
For further information on Liverpool City Council policies, visit Liverpool City Council Policies.
UPDATE – 28/01/2024 In a statement received on Friday (24th Jan) a Council spokesperson added:
Ratepayers’ information cannot be accessed by the Mayor nor Councillors and is only accessible by authorised Council staff.
Ratepayers’ information is protected by the Council’s privacy policies as well as State and Federal legislation.
Any person with information on a breach of data privacy should report it to the authorities and should contact Council with evidence and information, as set out in Council’s data breach policy
As previously stated, Council will take immediate disciplinary action if a breach of its policies and Code of Conduct is proven after a proper investigation.
