Communications and Broadcasting Act 2018, confidentiality of subscriber information and communications
Communications and Broadcasting Act 2018 (No. 21 of 2018), ss. 48-49, 70
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force since 10 May 2018.
A comprehensive regime rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 5 September 2026.
What it requires
- As a licensed communications service provider, do not disclose information concerning a subscriber without the subscriber's written consent, unless the Act or another written law requires or authorises the disclosure.
- Let a subscriber require you to correct or remove information relating to them, and handle any complaint about how you responded to that request.
- Retain a subscriber's information only for billing purposes, and for no longer than 7 years.
- Take reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of a subscriber's communications, and do not intercept, monitor, alter, or modify their content except as permitted or required by law.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Under section 70(2), a person other than the Authority's staff, a service provider, or its employee, agent, or contractor acting lawfully in the course of duty who intentionally intercepts, uses, or discloses a subscriber's communications or information commits an offence punishable on conviction by a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 2 years, or both.
Penalty structure
Fine only under s. 70(2); the same subsection also allows imprisonment not exceeding 2 years instead of or in addition to the fine.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 5 September 2026
- Currency
- AUD
- Fixed cap
- 10,000
What it reaches
Obligation class
Consent, Data subject rights, Retention, Security
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Section 48 bars a service provider from disclosing information concerning a subscriber without the subscriber's written consent unless the Act or another written law requires or authorises the disclosure. It also gives a subscriber the right to require a service provider to correct or remove information relating to them, with a right to complain to the Nauru Communications Authority if the provider fails or declines to act.
Retention of a subscriber's information is limited to billing purposes for no more than seven years. Section 49 requires a service provider to take all reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of subscriber communications and bars it from intercepting, monitoring, altering, or modifying their content except as permitted or required by law.
Section 70 separately makes it an offence, punishable by a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, for a person other than the Authority's staff, a service provider, or its employee, agent, or contractor acting lawfully in the course of duty to intentionally intercept, use, or disclose a subscriber's communications or information.
When LexLint raises it
processes_voice
Read the law
Official text of the Communications and Broadcasting Act 2018 (No. 21 of 2018)
Republic of Nauru, in an Internet Archive capture of the RONLAW database's PDF