Australian telecom giant Optus to pay for replacement passports after data breach

ANKARA (AA) – The Australian telecommunications giant Optus has agreed to pay for replacement passports for those affected by the data breach last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

Albanese called the data breach unacceptable and promised to strengthen privacy laws.

"An important update for all Australians on the Optus security breach. After actions taken by myself, @SenatorWong and @ClareONeilMP, Optus has agreed to pay for replacement passports for those affected by the data breach," he tweeted.

"What happened here is unacceptable," he said, adding that Australian companies "should do everything they can to protect your data."

The prime minister stated that his government is currently reviewing the Privacy Act and is committed to strengthening it.

Last week, one of the country's largest telecommunications companies revealed that their customers' data had been stolen in a cyberattack.

"We are devastated to discover that we have been subject to a cyberattack that has resulted in the disclosure of our customer's personal information to someone who shouldn’t see it," Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said in a statement.

The company stated that the attack had been stopped and that an investigation had begun immediately.

"As soon as we knew, we took action to block the attack and began an immediate investigation. While not everyone may be affected and our investigation is not yet complete, we want all of our customers to be aware of what has happened as soon as possible so that they can increase their vigilance.

"We are very sorry and understand customers will be concerned. Please be assured that we are working hard, and engaging with all the relevant authorities and organizations, to help safeguard our customers as much as possible," said the CEO.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid