Digital doppelgangers throwing lives into chaos 

In our increasingly data-driven world – where details on a database can define who we are– an administrative mixup by a government agency can easily morph into a recurring nightmare.

It’s an admin error that can happen if we share the same name and date of birth with someone – our digital doppelganger. Once our personal information gets mixed, there’s no telling how long it’s going to take to straighten it out to the government’s satisfaction. It’s also difficult to predict how long the information management failure will affect our lives.

Given that hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Australia share the same name and date of birth, it’s a serious issue. But it’s worth pointing out that government agencies are not supposed to let these mix ups happen, as a recent determination by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) makes clear.

Focusing on an individual case, the OAIC ruled earlier this month that Services Australia had failed to prevent an individual’s Medicare information from being mixed up with – and disclosed to – another person, a violation of the Privacy Act.

Intertwined records can cause real harm

“The idea of a digital doppelganger might seem like a curiosity, but its catchy ring conceals a difficult reality,” says Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind in a recent blog on this issue. 

“Individuals whose government records, such as Medicare, Centrelink and child support services, are intertwined may suffer not only inconvenience but real harm. They or their health practitioners may be prevented from accessing accurate records to enable the timely provision of health services.”  

In the case mentioned above, the affected person’s records were intertwined with another person’s for six years, during which time he continually contacted Services Australia and tried in vain to clear things up.

At one point the agency assured the person that the matter had been resolved.

Then he got a message from Services Australia saying “your registered Safety Net family is getting close to reaching the Medicare Safety Net Threshold”, which was clearly meant for another person. 

Following that, he discovered that his COVID and influenza vaccination history had been assigned to another person. 

Kind acknowledges that Services Australia has taken steps since the incident to keep digital doppelgangers administratively separate from one another, but the possibility of a mixup still exists.

The OAIC awarded the complainant $10,000 in compensation “for distress arising from the privacy breaches, which must have been a considerable burden on his time and energy over the past decade,” Kind says.

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Andy Kollmorgen

Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at CHOICE. He reports on a wide range of issues in the consumer marketplace, with a focus on financial harm to vulnerable people at the hands of corporations and businesses. Prior to CHOICE, Andy worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and at the Australian Financial Review along with a number of other news organisations. Andy is a former member of the NSW Fair Trading Advisory Council. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University. LinkedIn

Andy Kollmorgen is the Investigations Editor at CHOICE. He reports on a wide range of issues in the consumer marketplace, with a focus on financial harm to vulnerable people at the hands of corporations and businesses. Prior to CHOICE, Andy worked at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and at the Australian Financial Review along with a number of other news organisations. Andy is a former member of the NSW Fair Trading Advisory Council. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University. LinkedIn