Authorities are working to protect Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal phone number after it was discovered on a US-based website that scrapes contact details from the internet, according to government sources familiar with the issue.
The site’s operator reportedly uses artificial intelligence to collect publicly available information from social media and professional networking platforms, including LinkedIn, before compiling it into an online database resembling a global digital phonebook.
Among the hundreds of millions of entries are other world leaders, including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron. Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is also listed.
“We were made aware of this issue when media contacted us yesterday,” a spokesman for the Opposition Leader told NewsWire.
“This is obviously concerning, and we have reached out to LinkedIn to understand what occurred here.
“We are waiting for their response.
“We have asked the website to remove the information.”
The leak was first reported by Ette Media, which published a video showing a call to the leaked number believed to belong to the Prime Minister.
The call was directed to voicemail, where Mr Albanese’s voice can be heard saying, “Hi, you’ve rung Anthony Albanese, leave a message.”
LinkedIn has rejected claims that the data originated from its platform.
It is not the first time private numbers belonging to Australia’s most senior politicians have been exposed. In 2017, the private contact details of hundreds of MPs, senators and staffers were briefly published on the Parliament House website after the Department of Parliamentary Services failed to remove them from released phone bills.
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