Telstra has been slapped with a $600,000 fine after spamming Australians with more than 10 million texts.
Between 2022 and 2024, the telecommunications giant sent millions of messages with unlawful unsubscribe arrangements, including 10.3 million that required Australians to provide personal information to opt out, according to an Australian Communications and Media Authority investigation
Another 43,000 texts were sent to customers who had either not consented or withdrawn their consent to receive messages from Telstra's 'Belong' brand.
The telco has paid the maximum penalty of $626,000 after self-reporting these issues to the communications watchdogs and implemented fixes to most of the underlying causes.
"The spam consent rules have been in force for over 20 years and Telstra, as a mature and established company, has no excuse for this type of non-compliance," Australian Communications and Media Authority member Samantha Yorke said.
Under Australian law, consumers cannot be required to log in to accounts or provide personal information to unsubscribe from commercial messages, unless they have agreed to a prior arrangement.
Telstra has committed to an independent review and implementing any recommended improvements.
A company spokesperson apologised and said Telstra had started a program to find ways to strengthen its processes.
"Customers have a right to have their choices respected, and we’re sorry for not meeting this obligation for some of our customers," they said.
"We know there’s always more we can do to improve."
