Post by Banjo on Mar 7, 2018 9:00:31 GMT 7
Seniors travel cards 'breach' privacy laws
Travel cards issued to seniors, pensioners and war widows in NSW are breaching privacy laws by allowing travellers' movements to be tracked, a tribunal has ruled.
But Transport for NSW has not changed how it signs up seniors, arguing personal details are needed "to ensure only those entitled to the substantial benefits of concession fares can access the heavily reduced rate".
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled Gold Opal cards breached privacy laws after an unidentified senior argued the system could be used to link his identity to his travel on trains, light rail, buses and ferries.
Seniors, pensioners and war widows must submit a valid entitlement card in order to be registered for a Gold Opal which caps travel costs at $2.50 a day.
The senior user, identified only as CNS, told the tribunal that being required to submit identification during the registration of his Gold Opal card, when paired with the card's travel history data, led to a form of "surveillance" which stripped him of the ability to travel anonymously.
The man said he had no problem showing his seniors card to purchase a ticket or to prove his identity while using public transport, but he objected to the data being collected and potentially linked to his travel across NSW.
TfNSW argued the identity data was stored in a secure database separate from travel data.
It said live tracking couldn't be performed and the two data sets were only linked when the customer or authorities made specific requests.
Transport for NSW also argued the data was needed to manage "fraud and loss" in a way the 300 ticket officers who travel the state's network could not achieve.
But senior tribunal member John McAteer, in a judgement handed down in mid-February, agreed the Gold Opal breached the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act and changes were needed.
He said details would be a matter for TfNSW to manage given their budget and technical limitations but suggested the Queensland, Victorian and Hong Kong models offered potential solutions.
He ordered TfNSW to refrain from breaching the privacy of CNS.
But a spokeswoman confirmed the application for Gold Opal cards will remain unchanged while the transport authority reviews the decision.
The spokeswoman said personal details were necessary to safeguard the "significant financial benefit" the seniors card provides.
"Transport for NSW aims to ensure only those entitled to the substantial benefits of concession fares can access the heavily reduced rate," the spokeswoman told AAP in a statement.
"The mandatory registration of concession Opal cards, including the Gold Opal card, has assisted in the reduction of concession misuse from $41 million in 2012 to $20 million in 2017."
TfNSW is yet to determine what action it will take next, the spokeswoman added.
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/seniors-travel-cards-breach-privacy-laws/news-story/6edd51d69ecad1ef21c390e3fce48326
Travel cards issued to seniors, pensioners and war widows in NSW are breaching privacy laws by allowing travellers' movements to be tracked, a tribunal has ruled.
But Transport for NSW has not changed how it signs up seniors, arguing personal details are needed "to ensure only those entitled to the substantial benefits of concession fares can access the heavily reduced rate".
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled Gold Opal cards breached privacy laws after an unidentified senior argued the system could be used to link his identity to his travel on trains, light rail, buses and ferries.
Seniors, pensioners and war widows must submit a valid entitlement card in order to be registered for a Gold Opal which caps travel costs at $2.50 a day.
The senior user, identified only as CNS, told the tribunal that being required to submit identification during the registration of his Gold Opal card, when paired with the card's travel history data, led to a form of "surveillance" which stripped him of the ability to travel anonymously.
The man said he had no problem showing his seniors card to purchase a ticket or to prove his identity while using public transport, but he objected to the data being collected and potentially linked to his travel across NSW.
TfNSW argued the identity data was stored in a secure database separate from travel data.
It said live tracking couldn't be performed and the two data sets were only linked when the customer or authorities made specific requests.
Transport for NSW also argued the data was needed to manage "fraud and loss" in a way the 300 ticket officers who travel the state's network could not achieve.
But senior tribunal member John McAteer, in a judgement handed down in mid-February, agreed the Gold Opal breached the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act and changes were needed.
He said details would be a matter for TfNSW to manage given their budget and technical limitations but suggested the Queensland, Victorian and Hong Kong models offered potential solutions.
He ordered TfNSW to refrain from breaching the privacy of CNS.
But a spokeswoman confirmed the application for Gold Opal cards will remain unchanged while the transport authority reviews the decision.
The spokeswoman said personal details were necessary to safeguard the "significant financial benefit" the seniors card provides.
"Transport for NSW aims to ensure only those entitled to the substantial benefits of concession fares can access the heavily reduced rate," the spokeswoman told AAP in a statement.
"The mandatory registration of concession Opal cards, including the Gold Opal card, has assisted in the reduction of concession misuse from $41 million in 2012 to $20 million in 2017."
TfNSW is yet to determine what action it will take next, the spokeswoman added.
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/seniors-travel-cards-breach-privacy-laws/news-story/6edd51d69ecad1ef21c390e3fce48326
