Optus tells customers affected by data breach they can no longer use passports as online ID

Optus customers have been told they can’t use their passports for online identification. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Optus customers told they would not need a new passport after their documents were compromised in the recent data breach have now been notified that they can no longer use this document for online identification.

Daniel Reeders, whose passport was one of more than 100,000 exposed in the Optus hack, had been told that all was well and he did not need to start the process to receive a new passport.