Slashdot Mirror
Australian Police Ask Facebook For Police Alarm Button
littlekorea writes "The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has requested social networking site Facebook install a law enforcement representative in Australia and introduce some sort of button in which users can immediately report online crime to the police in a single click. It is National Cyber-Security Awareness Week in Australia, so the AFP is on an all-out offensive — announcing it is also investigating whether Google committed offences under Australia's Telecommunications Interception Act when it harvested Wi-Fi data." Something like this has been in the works for a while.
Whats up with australia? its a development country yet seems to go crazy with censorship and crazy laws
With the use of facebook, many online identities have been progressing towards being just as anonymous as a citizen walking down the street. The fact that other sites can link to your signed-in profile is almost like walking around a mall with your ID card taped to your forehead.
"Police buttons" like this will only work when the identity of the user is known, sort of like how 911 works...
I for one don't particularly like this trend, and much prefer to remain anonymous on the web.
In other words: donotwant
won't get flagrantly misused
I'll see if I can come up with a Rossetta Stone that will enable one to translate between all four schools during my Psychology Dissertation. I'll start applying to some of the top schools after I ask the taxpayers of San Jose, California to spring for the taxi fare so a couple of San Jose's Finest can give me a lift to the Napa State psychiatric hospital in California's Napa Valley.
Crawfordian Psychoanalysis is derived from the following books as well as my life experience over the last twenty-six years spent treating the Schizophrenia of homeless people as well as counseling those with Bipolar Affective Disorder; it's more commonly known as Manic Depression as well as Bipolar Depression. I have been saving the lives of the suicidally despondent since I was just a toddler in the late 1960s.
During my year of volunteer work for the Suicide Prevention Service of Santa Cruz County back when I was an undergraduate Physics student starting in the Fall of 1987, it happened all the time that a man would ring me up from a payphone with a loaded gun in his hand, or that a woman would ring me up from her bedroom with a bottle of sleeping pills and every intention to use them. I never once so much as contemplated sending for the police, the ambulance or the coroner.
All I ever required was an hour of Active Listening, in which the counselor listens carefully to what the client is saying, then responds in such a way as to make the client feel that the counselor really heard what they were saying. That's It.
If I ever so much as opened my mouth about the gentleman who managed to track down my home number from the SPSSC answering service then asked for me by name so I could convince him to stop hanging around a payphone with his loaded pistol to his temple, he would lose his Top Secret security clearance. I'll have to leave the reason as an exercise for my Gentle Reader.
Far, far more important has been my work treating the mental illnesses of Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists as well as the Psychiatric Nurses and Social Workers who staff Psychiatric Inpatient Hospitals since my first inpatient psychiatric admission. In November 1984 during the first term of my junior year of my studies at the California Institute of Technology when I I abruptly and for no aparent reason switched my major from Physics to Literature right in the middle of the Fall Quarter.
The only other person I have ever met who regarded that decision as anything but delusional or manic was Caltech Theoretical Physics Professor Richard Feynman. Feynman's deep insight into numerical analysis led him to enable the Trinity Test - a Plutonium Implosion Bomb - to knock a man flat at ten miles. The Uranium Assembly Bombed totally vaporized Hiroshima on the first try. The Plutonium Implosion Bomb dropped on Nagasaki did much the same thing.
How did Dick Feynman work such a miracle? Just by having a bunch of smart guys hang out in a big room for a year or two with tables of logarithms and mechanical adding machines. That's It.
Now you know why I flip out so much about the North Korean, Iraqi and Iranian nuclear weapons programs. Don't even get me started about the Israeli Bomb. Just Don't. The mere contemplation of the fact that Israel is well-known to possess at least three hundred nuclear weapons as well as dozens of Medium Range Ballistic Missiles that can hit anywhere in Iran completely fills me with a desperate urge to paint the entire wall to my left with my own brains.
Just wait until I explain why five minutes spent sketching on the back of an envelope would give you a deep insight into the Hydrogen Bomb. That's why the Cold War was so totally batshit paranoid. In 1953 a phenomenon known as Radiative Transfer lit the Hydrogen Bomb's fuse by enabling a two-stage Plutonium Implosion Bomb to set fire to a chunk of styrofoam in the shape of a large pill capsule. That
"The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has requested social networking site Facebook install a law enforcement representative in Australia and introduce some sort of button in which users can immediately report online crime
Would they be specifying that it take on the form of an amber lamp? Would seem logical given the rest of Australia's wtf'ery.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
"Hello, police? I want to report an online crime! Facebook is telling everyone in the world everything about me! It's not fair!! What's my name? You can check me out at www.facebook.com/EveryFacebookUser ..."
I am certain that as soon as this is implemented, some guy or groups of guys will abuse this for all its worth. Whether it be for political reason, activicism of anything else. This will be like a DDOS on the poor guy who will be in change of checking these things, it will be a waste of money.
Putting a single click police call on Facebook? Can you imagine all the false alarms - whether by accident or on purpose? Is Australia going to prosecute false alarms?
I think some folks really need to put the Foster's down.
RIP America
July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001
Hmm... What happens if you accidentally click the button?
20 ga-jillion websites in the world, why should facebook and a select few others bear the burden? Australian police want a "report crime" button on a website, put it on their own...you know, where I'd look for one...if i was looking in the first place...whatever the aussie equivalent of dialling 911 is still going to be faster than typing a report into a website...which, in the unlikely event it actually worked, would instantly generate a phone call from the police to the submitter anyway...
can't see the website button getting abused in any way, no siree...
When all of your wishes have been granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed - Marilyn Manson
Hurry, let's patent this idea. One-click-Narc.
I have one, but admittedly it requires 3 keypresses not one click.
It's called a cell phone. "9" "1" "1" "Talk"
It works quite well for reporting both online and offline crime.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I've got a great idea! What if there was some kind of...
Screw it, telephones. I can't think of a funny way to put this. TELEPHONES.
What type of crimes to they believe happen (often) on Facebook? And whatever other websites they might have contacted.
I don't see how this would result in anything but meaningless spamming of that "button".
We are all God's parents.
And I did, but it was just for the UK.
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=10/03/12/0149233
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
If only there was a "indict for crimes against humanity" button next to every site that has some sort of facebook like/link bullshit.
When I see banners on brick and mortar stores asking "Are we facebook friends yet?" I die inside a little bit. When I see newscasts saying to "check our facebook", i get nauseous.
Sent from my PDP-11
did Australia run out of beer or something? Why are they all up in each other's shit lately?
I knew that Australia has had a neoconservative movement somewhat like here in the U.S., but they seem to have taken the GWB concept and really run with it. Any Aussies care to inform us Merkins wtf is going on?
Patent one-click douchebaggery. Save us all.
Doesn't Jeff Bezos have a patent on that?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
We're going to report some crimes.
'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
when we start getting IMs / emails / messages on social networks from the police
You used to be cool, dude. You used to be out partying all night, thumbing your nose at the Man, man. What happened? It's like you just woke up as a geezer. What's next, bro? The Anti Hippity Hop Music Played Too Loud By Those Kids On My Lawn Act 2010?
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
I can't believe how much this country has changed. 15-20 years ago, the average Australian had a completely different attitude & outlook on life. We were easy going & resilient.
Nowadays, we're all about giving up our civil liberties, protecting the children from the throngs of pedophiles, buying houses that are well outside our paygrade, sueing people for nothing & basically being a pack of selfish, self-righteous bitches.
The Australian mentality is quickly perishing, along with the accent.
can you add a 'Dislike' button, FCS.
Aussie coppers dumb as ever.
I'd love to see this go ahead, just to see my taxpayer money being wasted of hundreds of thousands of false/misleading complaints...
Here in the US we've got something similar, and I bet the Aussies do too.
It's not on your computer, but it's on your phone, and has been for a while. You can pick up your phone and dial 911, and instantly get to talk to the police. You can use this to report crimes, ask for medical help, or even ask someone to come put out a fire! And this was /before/ the Internets, even.
Why the hell should Facebook have to provide yet another way to get in touch with the cops?
maybe the state can come and put them in adult diapers and feed them from a nipple too
reminds me of the uproar last week over some celebrity cunt using "rape" as a euphemism for privacy violation by paparazzi. oh, the insensitivity! we're degenerating into a bunch of wussified pansies with giant chips on our shoulders searching for something by which to be gravely offended.
Amber lamps, for those who didn't know, is a reference to Thomas Bruso (aka Epic Beard Man)'s African-American ghetto punk arch enemy whom he encountered in a bus ride.
See video.
After talking smack to Epic Beard Guy, harassing and then hitting him, Epic Beard Guy hit back at Amber Lamps, thus making Amber Lamps say "I need an amber lamps" because of his bleeding nose.
visit my pal the xkcd explainer!
Misused? It's the "correct" usage that is the problem...
They (The governments, cops, the man, whatever) keep trying to lower the treshold of reporting a crime. In theory, this is a good thing: If a crime is committed against me, I might already be upset etc. and should not be forced to jump through additional hoops. However, reporting a crime is notable thing that should be carefully considered. I am not some right wing nutjob who thinks that government should never interfere and whatnot but if someone is harassing you online, you really should think carefully if there is some better way to deal with the situation than involve the cops and the justice system with all its weight! When we aren't talking about crimes that put you or someone you know in immediate danger (in which case you generally should call 911 or its equivalent, not use some online system that isn't designed for that fast response) I think that it is actually better if you are required to visit a police station, call it or at the very minium send a goddam e-mail! If the crime is so insignifcant that you can't be bothered to send an e-mail to report it, perhaps you shouldn't report it!
Think about how people use Facebook. People use it after all the major events in life (break ups, etc.), during night when they are sleep deprived, after they haven consumed alcohol... And when only communicating with text there are plenty of possibilities for misunderstanding the other party (something that was meant as a joke can be misinterpreted and so on)... We really don't need effortless one-click-crime-reporting in that enviroment.
We were too busy out partying all night, thumbing our nose at the Man to elect decent (so far as the word can apply) politicians?
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
Is it Lord Humongous? Time to call Mel Gibson!
Making it illegal to sniff WAPs seems dangerously close to - excuse me, Godwin - making it illegal to have Jewish grandparents. It seems that Australia has been, for a very long time as you say, a police state.
You mean charge the taxpayers, as in you and me, right? I disagree.
I don't see how this would result in anything but meaningless spamming of that "button".
Meaningless? No, it could probably be used for quite meaningful harassment of someone you don't like. Maybe even someone you barely know.
It'd be like Slashdot moderation, except instead of "-1, I don't like what you're saying," it'd be "-1, I'd like to give the police the pretext to access your accounts and search your house."
Unless, of course, there's a different set of rules for investigations triggered by this...
Tweet, tweet.
Just as a note,
The AFP or Australian Federal Police is not just the 'Australian Police' like the title misleads you to believe. They are known as 'the feds' and would be most similar to what Americans know as the FBI. And then there's ASIO which is the Australian Security Intelligence Organiasation and is akin to the CIA and NSA.
So yeah, the AFP ain't your local cop shop.
You can tell how powerful someone is by the magnitude of the crime they can commit and be able to get away with.
Pranksters would NEVER target such a mechanism to trigger a wave of false reports. Such shenanigans would never happen in this day and age.
It will just end up putting a bunch of fat-finger drunks behind bars for "inappropriate use of emergency infrastructure".
Table-ized A.I.
It seems to me that web users would be hitting this button a lot as the design of most webpages classifies as an "online crime."
It's Australia.
First I am glad they asked Facebook as opposed to telling them. But in truth they the police should just make their own plug in, sort of an online 911 gadget, then it could work at any time on the web. I don't know how useful the information will be and I am not sure how much I would trust a police based plug in (and a million other things)! However the cool thing about the internet is you can give crazy ideas a try. Face it, those "email the FBI to report fraud" addresses are mostly data collection, but even collecting data is worth while.
Cop chat?
As an add-on in a mobile app, something like this could be an panic button that could be used anywhere, if you could guarantee user and police accountability. Gps tagging could pinpoint the location. But as it stands it seems to lack too much accountability and security. If there was a cancel option, what would stop an attacker from canceling the call after he subdued his victim? If not, there would be far too many accidental calls I think. perhaps people would be willing to live with one of the two options, and I suppose its better to stop some crimes rather than none. I'd rather see how this plays out in Britain before we start it here, be technology doesnt stand still, there will never be a time when we "know the consequences." Its nice to have options, but this one concerns me.
iuventuti nil arduum
I would do it. The amount of mis-use would almost have to convince the Police that this is a horrible idea.
Troll the Trolls.
Close. Amber Lamps is the girl with the headphones.
Hopefully this red button will be used to point to youtube videos demonstrating police brutality and we can finally put some bullies behind bars.
Of course, they'll probably arrest the youtube user instead.
Where's the shadow government, when you neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed it?
lol... WTF'ery! Oddly precise description of most modern news.
the police make their own website. WTF?
and i has picture of the commercial with the big panic button with words FACEPLANT on it
i can see rapid response for the first few hundred pushes LOL
Amazon probably has a patent for that.
i swear ill sit here for a hour a day wailing on that button what they gonna do deport me for ILLEGAL PUSHING OF some button haha riiiight
An arrest offender button for the cops to use?
"No."
That and the compulsory voting + preference distribution system of elections means that governments effectively change on the back of "marginal" seats, almost all in the suburban belts of the major cities where the votes of "concerned parents" is buyable with a few tax kickbacks (Family Payment Part A and B anyone? No not you, you degenerate working single young male) and a show of concern for the degeneration of society.
Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
This _is_ a country that has a toll-free snitch line to report 'suspicious activity', and frequent advertisements to remind everybody it exists -- "Be alert, but not alarmed..."
it'd be "-1, I'd like to give the police the pretext to access your accounts and search your house. Unless, of course, there's a different set of rules for investigations triggered by this..."
No, same rules, the police in Oz are still bound by the quaint notion of applying to the courts.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Australia has always been on the conservative side in culture, religion and politics, despite the national stereotype of being open and fun-loving. In that sense, we've got a lot in common with the US. I'll go so far to say that Australia is a real prude these days.
Sorry to burst your bubble but no new laws are required to ask facebook to install a link to the cops. Also we already have an "Anti Hippity Hop Music Played Too Loud By Those Kids On My Lawn Act", we call it "trespassing", so get off my lawn and take your Hippity-hop band with you.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
I'm not at all surprised to read this story considering recent events in Australia.
The fact is that a couple of weeks ago a young girl was murdered by someone she met on facebook.
Naturally people are going to want some action taken on this issue so that their child isn't the next victim of the horrible, nasty interweb.
This being an election year, it is more important than ever that the government looks like its doing something useful to handle issues such as this. So they yell at the AFP to do something about it, and some bright spark there comes up with this wonderful idea which will no doubt fail miserably because (amongst other reasons) there is no way they can investigate every 2nd twit on facebook that reports their friend as a joke. But at least they appear to be doing something so that parents don't have to take responsibility themselves to make sure their child isn't meeting up with strangers from the internet.
You used to be cool, dude. You used to be out partying all night, thumbing your nose at the Man, man. What happened? It's like you just woke up as a geezer. What's next, bro? The Anti Hippity Hop Music Played Too Loud By Those Kids On My Lawn Act 2010?
We wish. It's more like the "We just got a frontal lobotomy" Act 2010
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
We moved to Hollywood because there clearly weren't enough unshaven thugs making historically inaccurate movies.
When we got back to check our mail, conservatives were squatting in our homes and pawing through - sorry, banning - our pr0n.
I for one can't wait for this to be implemented. What could possiblie go wrong? I feel safer already.
that's not a tag
This is one of the most common phrases spoken and written by Australians. It's the "yet" part which is so funny.
Despite all of Australia's best efforts to (re)model itself as The United States of Australia, you are nothing like Americans and your nation is nothing like America, however much you may wish to believe otherwise.
Some Americans feel touched or flattered by your desire to be us, but most of us just scratch our head in bemusement. The thing of it is that you're not at all like us, and have no good reason to be us, so why do you want to be -- and try so hard to be -- American?
Sure, the United States of America is a "great nation" in many respects, and I guess we as that nation are still worthy of some grudging respect and admiration (or not...), but we certainly aren't the 'be all and end all'...Yet as far as Australians are concerned America is the Holy Grail in too many ways to count.
Be happy and proud to be Australian! You're a great bunch of people and you have some excellent beaches. What more could you ever really want out of life? :)
We're sorry man... here Mick went and punched a shark for you Surfer punches shark then catches wave We cool now? I'm just glad there's an election coming up so I can help vote the current government out.
While reporting of problems and crimes is generally a good thing, this particular request goes much futher. First the private company is almost being told to put the button on the page. And I assume that the size colour and position will also have to be as 'requested'. But then there is talk of a law enforement rep on site! Nice, approved state minders helping you out.
Finally the article shows a number of law bodies having a get together to discuss "work together to exert some pressure on the content service providers to assist law enforcement to gain better activity and better approach for them". Its not worded to clearly but basically "how can we force them to do what we want".
Where did Aus go wrong, this should really ring alarms.
I don't know why everyone is moaning, I think that a "Report" button could be a good idea. Unfortunately it'll never work due to the large amount of false positives it would incur. You'd need quite a bit of people looking at what was reported in order to determine whether or not actions should be taken.
~Syberz
Exactly what crimes can you commit online via facebook? The only one I can think of is a trojan app, but methinks the first thing a trojan would do is disable the panic button!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Children are SO going to abuse this button. Also, I'm wondering who is going to work through all those reports. Where is this enormous manpower taken from?
amber lamps is the babe with the headphones
You used to be cool, dude. You used to be out partying all night, thumbing your nose at the Man, man. What happened?
I hear the women there are shaving now. Now I'm not saying that a decrease in female body hair causes countries to go all batshit fundamentalist, but the US has had a similar progression from the 60s to now... Fundamentalism also seems to correlate with an increase in male bodyhair... Just who is behind this global shaving conspiracy? And what will happen when women start shaving their heads?
obviously the risk of abuse is there, however if implemented correctly, I think something like this could be very helpful. I've heard of incidents when people post suicide notes on their FB statuses and if there was a way for a friend to react and alert FB that information can often be helpful to the medical services professionals that may end up helping the person (such as drugs they've taken, etc)