The Optus case for retaining customer personal information, including government identifiers (e.g., passport, drivers’ licence, and Medicare numbers), may well be different from the retention case that recruitment & staffing agencies could mount.

But if you’re a recruiter, and you’re are retaining that sort of information, it might be wise to ask yourself why you need to retain it.

Sure, you might have needed it to verify the identity or work rights of your candidates; but if you can’t make a convincing argument for retaining it – and inconvenience is not a convincing argument – then shouldn’t you be destroying or de-identifying it in accordance with APP.11 and NZ IPP.9?

It’s worth asking the question, and it might keep you and your candidates safe.

Andrew C. Wood