The Australian Attorney-General’s Department has received 347 implementation plans or applications for exemptions from The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015, ZDNet reports. Of the 347 applications received, the AGD has approved 155 implementation plans for the controversial data retention law allowing law-enforcement agencies to access sensitive customer information without a warrant. While the government announced an AU$128.4 million grant program to help organizations cover compliance costs, no money has been handed out. "We're still processing the applications and finalising the funding model, the detailed elements, so no funding has actually been allocated yet," said Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Emergency Management Group Katherine Jones. "There's no expectation that every applicant will receive the total amount that they have sought because the government's program was a substantial contribution to their costs, not the total cost."
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