The Australian government has signed a revised Passenger Name Record agreement with the EU, which will allow the Australian Customs Service to retain passenger data for nearly six years to combat crime. Customs is required to audit its privacy protections to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act, but an Office of the Australian Information Commissioner report indicates that no such audits were conducted last year, The Australian reports. The most recent audit was conducted in 2009 but was not published. The team that conducted the audit said the agency's practices were generally compliant with the Privacy Act but added that a number of "best practice" recommendations were made. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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