Australia may inadvertently fuel cyber crime, says data theft victim service

An Australian government-backed service for victims of identity theft blasted a plan to toughen privacy laws amid an explosion of online data theft, saying it would spur compromised companies to pay ransom and invite more hacking.
IDCare, a non-profit that helps internet crime victims, said by making it easier for reg
ulators to fine companies for poor data security and failing to criminalise ransom payment, Australia may inadvertently fuel a cyber-crimewave.
The message came in an unpublished submission, reviewed by Reuters, to the attorney general who is working to update privacy law for the internet age just as the country experiences a spike in large-scale data thefts that the government says has touched almost every family.