Defeating identity theft in Australia

David Heath
Monday, 23 November 2009 18:31

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

Tonight, Attorney General Hon. Robert McClelland launched Australia's Cyber Security Strategy, formalising the roles, responsibilities and policies of the Australian intelligence, cyber and policing agencies.  This includes the goals of education, secure operation and resiliency.

In a major announcement in Canberra late this afternoon, Attorney General Hon. Robert McClelland launched a new Cyber Security plan and said that the Government had three main goals that "reflect the three elements of individuals, business and government."

One of the principle foundations is the desire to "give all Australians the information, confidence and practical tools needed to be secure online."

Quite truthfully, McClelland offers that "Most of us have very little understanding of how the Internet works.

"But there are a small number of technologically savvy people who do understand and who can take advantage of technical vulnerabilities.

"Defamation, fraud, copyright infringement, drug trafficking, even planning for terrorist activities - all of these things happen both in the 'real' world and online."

To combat this, the Attorney General has announced the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), based in Canberra's Defence Signals Directorate.

CERT "will be the national coordination point for providing cyber security information and advice to all Australians."

In addition to the CERT and CSOC announcements, McClelland also announced a new identity theft booklet "Protecting your Identity."  This booklet provides Australians "with practical advice and strategies on how to protect personal and financial information, as well as information on our computers and what to do if we've been a victim of identity theft."

Interested parties can find all relevant documents here.  In particular the document "Protecting your Identity" provides useful information on identity theft and how to combat it.