ACCC rolls out tool for Consumer Data Right transformation

The ACCC launched the Consumer Data Right (CDR) sandbox, a free tool designed to help existing and potential CDR participants test and improve their CDR solutions. The regulatory watchdog said the aim is to help organisations reduce the time and cost in the process of becoming an active CDR participant or updating their CDR offering.

As a hosted environment, the CDR Sandbox behaves and functions like the actual CDR ecosystem. Participants – both data holders and accredited data recipients - can set up their own software solutions and communicate with the existing mock solutions and other participants within a secure testing environment. There’s also pre-live development support to help those as they move to becoming active, and to help with data quality when data is shared between participants. The sandbox will also remain available to participants after they become active, to assist them in refining and developing their services and products.

Other mock solution tools already released by the ACCC include the mock solutions source code available from the Consumer Data Right GitHub and the mock solution container images from the Consumer Data Right Docker Hub.

The CDR is meant to give consumers control of their own digital data and information held by a range of institutions. The legislation, which debuted in late 2016, followed a Productivity Commission inquiry that called for a revolution of the country’s data policy framework. The plan received AUD 44.6 million in the 2019 Federal Budget to implement a framework for consumer data portability and transparency. 

The first instance of CDR launched in 2020 across the banking industry and is known as Open Banking. The energy and telecommunications sectors will be the next to follow under the CDR regulatory framework. Recenty, the Bank of Queensland paid a penalty of AUD 133,200 after the ACCC issued it with an infringement notice for allegedly breaching CDR rules by failing to provide a service enabling consumers’ data to be shared, CMO concluded.