{
  "id": 235202,
  "title": "85% of Australians will complete the census online. Here’s how to avoid potential scams",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/85-of-australians-will-complete-the-census-online-heres-how-to-avoid",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-06T20:08:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/85-of-australians-will-complete-the-census-online-heres-how-to-avoid-potential-scams-289032"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The 2016 Australian census saw an online outage that left many citizens distrustful of the system. Cyber security has since improved, with 85% of Australians expected to complete the next census online on August 11, 2026. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has faced cyber security challenges, including distributed denial-of-service attacks, but has implemented significant improvements, repelling nearly 1 billion attempted cyber attacks and blocking over 130,000 malicious internet addresses in the decade since. The latest cyber security audit found the ABS needs to address key vulnerabilities and improve security architecture, with the ABS responding that it has already implemented two key recommendations. The biggest cyber risk may not be the census website itself but phishing scams, where cyber criminals impersonate the ABS through fake emails, texts, and websites to steal personal information. To stay safe, Australians should complete the census through official channels, double-check web addresses, avoid clicking suspicious links, and remain wary of misinformation, such as prizes or requests for personal information.",
  "summary": "People still remember the 2016 #CensusFail. So how safe is the 2026 census?",
  "key_points": [
    "85% of Australians plan to complete census online in 2026",
    "ABS has improved cyber security, blocking 130k malicious sites",
    "Phishing scams pose biggest cyber risk for census"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Australians face a heightened risk of phishing scams during the online census, requiring vigilance when interacting with online requests to safeguard their personal information.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}