Family court dismissed concerns over India data breach a decade ago

Newly discovered emails have exposed that sensitive court records were transferred to India over a decade ago, without the current court leadership being aware of the data transfer. Former Auscript national manager Paul Cutbush raised concerns in 2014, but the court deemed it a minor and insignificant breach, not warranting any substantial response.

The transcription company VIQ Solutions, which replaced Auscript, recently breached its Commonwealth contract by allowing access to sensitive court files in India. This led to the company's liquidation following calls for a forensic audit due to potential national security risks. Cutbush expressed frustration at the court's lack of response to his concerns in 2014, highlighting the potential consequences if their concerns had been addressed earlier.

He was responsible for overseeing the Auscript project to send data to India but expressed doubts about the quality of transcripts produced in India. The court confirmed that Auscript was not allowed to transfer such information outside Australia without prior approval. However, Auscript admitted to conducting a controlled pilot/test operation in India for about seven months, during which all audio transfers were encrypted and deleted within 48 hours.

Despite this, Cutbush believed the project went on longer than the stated period. The Federal Circuit and Family Court spokesperson stated that the current leadership was unaware of the earlier data offshoring, as the leadership at the time is no longer in place. Both Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash and Greens leader David Shoebridge called for an investigation into the matter, emphasizing the disturbing implications and the need for a whole-of-government response to address the potential national security concerns.