Privacy Law & Policy Reporter --- "IPND Progress" [1998] PrivLawPRpr 53; (1998) 5(3) Privacy Law & Policy Reporter 45

IPND Progress

The Integrated Public Number Database ACIF has completed 12 day long meetings, with a (hopefully) final meeting slotted for September. Privacy accomplishments on the Working Committee so far include:

• confining those who will have access to IPND data;
• defining what that data can be used for (as set out in Telstra’s carrier licence conditions) and, more importantly, what it cannot be used for;
• introducing the possibility of a customer choice of a ‘suppressed address’ directory listing option (not mandatory on directory providers); and
• beginning the process of declaring directory publishers of residential directories as a ‘section of the tele-communications industry’, and therefore subject to direction by the Australian Communications Authority in relation to the IPND Code.

Outstanding privacy issues include:

• ensuring that any additional uses to which IPND data can be put (now possible through ACA direction or regulations) are the subject of further public consultation;
• ensuring consumers know that their IPND data resides in an IPND, is supplied to data users and for set purposes; and
• further determining the implications of a suppressed address option.

The most important issue, however, is enforcement and whether the Code can require that all those given access to IPND data must first become Code signatories (see accompanying article).

The Committee plans to finalise its working on the Code by the end of September, after which the Code will be released for a month long period for public comment.