Civil liberties group damns phone tap laws

[apothecary]

Time to batten down the hatches people. This is the big one if you ask me.

Gonna be tightening up all communications from here on in. This probably also means the chat is gonna have to be relocated and reimplemented using a much more secure solution.

Who said we weren't on a slipper slope?

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1605265.htm

Civil libertarians have raised concerns about new laws allowing crime agencies to access the phone calls, emails and text messages of people who are not suspected of committing a crime.

New legislation passed by Federal Parliament yesterday allows the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Australian Federal Police and some other government agencies to get warrants for information stored by telecommunications companies.

Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock says the laws are needed to allow full investigation of serious crimes.

Cameron Murphy from Australian Council of Civil Liberties says they are an invasion of privacy.

"The legislation does nothing to protect the rights of innocent people," he said.

"These new powers allow police for the first time to tap the phones of innocent third parties, people who are not themselves even suspected of a criminal offence."

[Rev]

so just tell me when i should disconnect my phone services altogether

its seeming such a liability

i could get used to not having them again and using net cafes

[apothecary]

Until they hire "monitors" to hang around internet cafes and check on peoples browsing like in China :/

[foolsbreath]

Sad but true, The erosion of our civil rights is one more step towards a totalitarian society

This is an example of the greater good for society outweighs the rights of any individual. If this is allowed, it will be much easier for the government to pass similar laws in the future as there will already be a benchmark that politicians will be able to compare the proposed legislation to in judicial proceedings etc etc

[botanika]

Until they hire "monitors" to hang around internet cafes and check on peoples browsing like in China :/

Id be more worried about ASIO than chinese internet cafe monitors...

[apothecary]

Why? The internet monitors report all suspicious activity right back to the Ministry of Public Security, and they are much worse than ASIO

Edited April 3, 2006 by apothecary

[Rev]

yeah funny thing is they could get as bad easily and because of the new detention laws no-one would even be able to alert the public to it

There are countries in the world with rigid political systems who'll let you live your life as you please so long as you dont get involved in politics and mafia and bring in those tax dollars

and then there are countries like australia who want much more

they want to know everything about you, smart card you, tap you , track you, silence you

while we become more and more regulated and spied on, the governmnet becomes less transparent and less accountable.

China and eastern europe are opening up in a big way just as we close down. China is still a one party system but if you arent in politics wheres the problem? well its a hell of a reform since maos cultural revolution anyway

And look at the democratic spirit at work in old eastern bloc states

i know nothing. tell me, anyone, where is this heading? what can we expect once johnny is gone? will we get our freedoms back if the coalition goes? or is this just the begginning.

[botanika]

There are countries in the world with rigid political systems who'll let you live your life as you please so long as you dont get involved in politics and mafia and bring in those tax dollars

and then there are countries like australia who want much more

they want to know everything about you, smart card you, tap you , track you, silence you

China and eastern europe are opening up in a big way just as we close down. China is still a one party system but if you arent in politics wheres the problem? well its a hell of a reform since maos cultural revolution anyway

Exactly! The ebb and flow of societies...

[Leo^]

A mate of mine got his phone tapped, he says u can tell from things like slight change in pitch. He told his wife to call everyone she knew and talk crap for a week, morning till night everyday. They stopped tapping it after a week

[botanika]

i know nothing. tell me, anyone, where is this heading? what can we expect once johnny is gone? will we get our freedoms back if the coalition goes? or is this just the begginning.

I know nothing either, I am zen, always the beginner. But I sort of feel like australia is small change in the wallet of the west. We can rattle around a bit, we look all shiney and bronze, but we're still stuck in the back pockets of the US and Britain.

Some of us might be fortunate enough to be spent on candy, some of us might fall out into the grass and gleam in the sun but most of us are being fed into the slot machines: the piggy banks and parking meters of society

Edited April 3, 2006 by botanika