Telstra has been fined $2.53 million (US$1.8 million), the largest fine ever issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after the company breached privacy rules made to protect consumer privacy and safety. ACMA’s investigation found Australia’s largest telecommunication company failed to correctly upload a customer’s choice of number as unlisted in almost 50,000 instances to the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND). This means these numbers could be published in public phone directories or be available through directory services. The ACMA also found that Telstra failed to provide data to, or failed to update, the IPND for its Belong customers on over 65,000 occasions. Belong is a smaller telecommunications company owned by Telstra and uses the Telstra wholesale mobile network, which covers 98.8 percent compared to Telstra’s 99.5 percent. The IPND comprises Australian phone numbers and their owner’s details and provides a vital resource to support Australia’s emergency services, law enforcement …