Changes to telecommunications law have been made to allow authorities to access vital phone data more quickly to aid in the search for missing persons.
The standards for telcos to submit information to police will be lowered thanks to a proposal made by the federal government.
Authorities will be able to swiftly obtain crucial phone data to help in the search for missing people because to changes to telecommunications legislation.
A proposal offered by the federal government will ease the requirements for telcos to provide information to police.
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Under the previous law, the police must demonstrate a substantial and impending threat to a person’s life or health in order to obtain the data.
Due to the fact that this need is frequently challenging to prove in cases of missing persons, the new regulations will do away with the requirement that the threat is imminent.
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland asserted that the parliament needed to act quickly.
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Rowland said, “These are critical amendments to the telecommunications act and associated legislation which could very well save lives.”
According to Rowland, this is a significant shift in the way Australians receive emergency assistance.
Lowering the bar for data has already been suggested before, with the NSW coroner raising the matter in an inquest in 2020.
The legal amendments will also improve emergency disclosures to triple zero and modernize record-keeping requirements
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
