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Australian Human Rights Commission leaks docs and personal information in browser-indexing mishap

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By published

A data breach incident has exposed private documents

Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • The Australian Human Rights Commission has inadvertently exposed data
  • Personal information is included in the breach
  • It's not yet known what information specifically was included

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has sent a data breach notification that concerns attachments uploaded the the Commission’s web forms on its site. This includes around 670 documents that were “made potentially accessible in error,” the Commission confirms.

Around 100 of these were actually accessed online, potentially through Bing or Google - which prompted the Commission to address the breach.

“The Commission takes the issue of privacy and data protection very seriously. It is critical that people are able to securely share personal and sensitive information with the Commission via our website. We sincerely apologise to people who may be affected. The Commission is contacting affected individuals for whom we have contact information to advise them of the breach.“

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Personal information exposed

The breach was not a result of malicious or criminal acts, although the details will be updated as the investigations continue. Webforms from the “Speaking from Experience Project (March – September 2024), Human Rights Awards 2023 nominations (3 July 2023 – 4 September 2023), and National Anti-Racism Framework concept paper (October 2021 – February 2022) were also affected by this data breach.”

Many of these include personal information from those affected, although its not clear specifically what was included. All affected in this incident have reportedly been notified by the organization.

For anyone who fears they may have been affected by this or any other breach, we recommend monitoring your accounts, cards, and statements closely to ensure no suspicious activity is found.

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Ellen Jennings-Trace
Ellen Jennings-Trace
Staff Writer

Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.

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