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Australian Police Given Power To Use Spyware

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the big-brother-actually-is-watching-now dept.

reek writes "An Australian newspaper has reported> that the contentious Surveillance Devices Act has been passed. The act will (according to the article) allow Federal Police to obtain warrants to secretly install spyware onto users computers enabling them to "monitor email, online chats, word processor and spreadsheets entries and even bank personal identification numbers and passwords.""

5 of 450 comments (clear)

  1. Linux switch... by PincheGab · · Score: 3, Funny
    Now this more that anything else will persuade many "normal" (ie, non-tech nerds)) people to switch to Linux...

    One cannot trust a closed-source anti-government_spyware program working an a closed-source O/S, but the same perogram implemented as open source running on an open-source O/S? Yeah, much better.

  2. Re:Great... by Thud457 · · Score: 5, Funny
    • You bleeding heart liberal.
    • If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.
    • Our law enforcement agents aren't fallible and human, they're angelic supermen invulnerable to temptation.
    • This will only be used against BAD PEOPLE (You know they're bad because we told you they are).
    • Why do you hate Amer^H^H^H Austrailia?!!!
    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  3. Coming to a Court Room near you... by feloneous+cat · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Yer honor he was using Windows and..."

    "That's enough for me! I sentence you to life!"

    --
    IANAL, but I've seen actors play them on TV
  4. Re:A Good Thing? by Le+Marteau · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I forget my passphrase, no matter how pissed the cops ge, it doesn't really make a difference.

    I hope you can still say that when your cellmate starts referring to you as 'Shirley'.

    --
    Mod down people who tell people how to mod in their sigs
  5. Re:Simple way to work around this by taustin · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think you're on to something. Obviously, using Linux will be a sign of criminal intent, so anyone who uses Linux would be a criminal.

    And thus, Microsoft will conquer the world.