The Albanese Government will examine the practice of ‘screen scraping’ with the release of a new discussion paper.
Screen scraping is a widespread practice in which consumers hand over their credentials, like log in details and passwords, for a third party to access their account.
A recent statutory review of the Consumer Data Right (CDR) recommended screen scraping be banned where CDR is a viable alternative, and today’s discussion paper seeks to understand how it is used and the feasibility of a ban.
This follows on from last week’s release of exposure draft rules that would expand the Consumer Data Right (CDR) to the non-bank lending sector.
The proposed expansion to non-bank lending is expected to give consumers a more holistic view of their financial status when making significant decisions, and a safer alternative to screen scraping.
These two pieces of work are aimed at giving Australian consumers more ways to take control of their household finances, and greater confidence that their data is being protected.
The screen scraping discussion paper can be found on the Treasury website and submissions will close on 25 October 2023.
The draft non-bank lending rules can also be found on the Treasury website and submissions will close on 6 October 2023.