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US-Australia Agreements Create Opportunities for Privacy Violation, Extradition
TheGift73 writes with a link to (and this excerpt from the beginning of) a brief description at TorrentFreak of recently signed agreements between the U.S. and Australia: "Figures.... File-sharing was firmly on the agenda when the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security touched down in the Australian capital last week. The four new agreements – promptly signed before Secretary Janet Napolitano flew back out of Canberra – were less about sharing season two of Game of Thrones and more about sharing the private, government held information of Australian citizens with U.S. authorities."
Having caught every terrorist in the world, Department of Homeland Security has now moved to the next threat to America: People downloading crappy TV series.
The Department of Homeland Security is a joke. Director, you sir, are a joke. And sooner or later, public support is going to evaporate, and then you'll be wasting billions of dollars classifying every detail about every employee in your organization. Every camera you point at the public will mean ten more pointed back at you. You're going to spend more time spinning and protecting your image as the "good guys" than you will finding and hunting down the bad guys. And the only people who are going to want to work for your organization are pathetic paper pushers with no sense of ambition, loyalty, or patriotism. And why will that be? Because that's the kind of person your organization will be doing its bidding for. You won't be saving the world... you'll be pool boys for the wealthy entertainment industry.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
I mean, what that word "Homeland" really means ?
Why the hell the department of HOMELAND SECURITY is interfering with file sharing ?
What " SECURITY RISKS " do torrent / file sharing pose for the HOMELAND that department supposed to protect ?
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Any idea when the next elections are in Australia? What are the chances that Australians will vote for the same party that is doing this to them?
It must be held by the end of November 2013, but could potentially be before-hand.
As for your second question this is the the first I've heard of it, no coverage at all in mainstream media. That implies the opposition party didn't raise too many public concerns so no reason to think they wouldn't have done the same thing.
Far worse than the stereotype of Americans here on /.
Australians tend to be gullible, and heavily rely on group think. If you think something other than the obvious what the media says, prepare to be insulted while patiently trying to articulate your point.
Most Australians would be OK with this because they will believe it is for the greater good and serves some purpose. If this is even on their radar. Historically they are more concerned with essentially inconsequential things like tuition increases or workchoices.
Written as an Aussie expat.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
How do we (Australians) sack our government? They are obviously fucked in the head.
We can't vote in US elections :)
An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
The issue here is that the people being extradited aren't committing crimes. If they did they could be charged, but they aren't so extradition is the only way to lock them up.
Soon we'll be sending all women to Saudi Arabia to have their heads cut off.
An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
To my eyes, this is just another sign about how desperate America is in preventing it's inevitable slide as a world power. I honestly can't remember any other US pact that was so blatant in its goals. Anyone can look at this pact and tell it's not about terrorism and national threats (both Aus and US), it's mostly about file sharing and America trying to spread it's onerous copyright laws to protect its exports. The bit about the US monitoring Aussie citizens is very worrying at the very least when we consider the MPAA/RIAA lawsuits I've seen in America.
I don't really know what America exports these days apart from war, patents and entertainment. It would look too bad if American invaded Australia at this point in time (although some people have taken the sign of US Marines being based in Darwin as the sign this has started) so I suppose the only other thing for America to spread it's tentacles is by dodgy pacts like this. Anything to try and stay on top (apart from fixing the underlying issues with the government and legal system in the USA and stop bullying the world, turning everyone on the face of the planet against you).
Americans, please stand up and do something about this. I'll do what I can from this side, but I'll stop there. Really, I should have no power as to how Americans rule and legislate in your own country, and that is the way it should be.
Quite frankly, after everything I have seen, I'm starting to think that there will be an armed uprising in America within the next 10 years against the US government. Guaranteed. Maybe the US government foresaw the same thing. It would explain why so much leeway the US government has given to internal security forces like the FBI and possibly the creation of the Dept of Homeland Security, and how the shift in America has gone from looking for external threats to internal threats.
This space for rent
I'm glad I left Australia.
Now I just have to pick up Citizenship somewhere else so I can revoke my Australian Citizenship.
What a joke Australia has become.
You can tell how powerful someone is by the magnitude of the crime they can commit and be able to get away with.
For all the criminal career of Kim Dotcom, how does anything he did become a threat to Homeland security? DHS does not, or at least should not, have jurisdiction in every federal crime. And since when is copyright violation even a crime instead of a tort?
People should not fear their government. Governments should fear their people.
our opposition party in Australia (the so called "Liberal/National Party", Read Conservative) wouldn't do anything about it, they are the ones who introduced the 'Fair trade laws" which mean that Australians have to bend over backwards to any American copyright but Australian copyright means nothing to America.
At least the Government waited until the Secretary was in Canberra to sign the papers, The Lib/NCP would have signed them and sent them in advance.
Please stop doing what my country's government tells you. It only encourages them.
Xoxo,
some American guy
Pretend there is some witty statement here.
In Australia, we have a situation similar to that of the US. We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant. Both parties are right of centre and have a secular façade. Both parties have the same contributors, the same policies (albeit a difference in approach), just different 'friends'. The incumbent has few friends in the media and has been raked over the coals continuously for most the term, ever since they attempted to tax the rich. The opposition does not really advertise their policies and simply plays 'the no game' - and they play it well.
The mainstream media in Australia supports the two-party system of voting and government, thus Australians are led to believe that an independent vote or minor party vote is a wasted vote. The media create such a brouhaha involving these major parties that people vote AGAINST the major party they don't want elected instead of considering all parties policies or their leaders reputations. This is the system that keeps these parties in power.
My vote will be wasted in the sense that the party I vote for will not be elected. My vote will not be wasted in the sense that I will be on record as preferring another parties policies. Come next election, there is a chance that the major party that is down in the polls MAY adopt some of the policies from these minor parties in order to secure votes. The outcome being that the people I wanted in are not, their policies are.
Voting is mandatory in Australia and as such is viewed as a chore or a burden. A lot of people don't take it seriously. It doesn't help that it is very difficult to get information on each of the candidates policies. The only real campaigning is tacky flyers with 'Vote #1' in beg red type and a spiel about why the other guy is so horrid.
To highlight my point compare the opposition to a minor party that most people are unaware of. The oppositions website uses the entire banner and the right half of every page attacking the incumbent. Policies are split across dozens of PDFs across several pages. The minor party makes their policies very clear with a headline, summary and major point of each area of issue on a single page.
Now in answer to you questions,
Any idea when the next elections are in Australia?
By Nov 30, 2013. Possibility of an early election but the incumbent won't call it because they are around 30% in the polls and the opposition won't challenge because they have a chickenshit leader.
What are the chances that Australians will vote for the same party that is doing this to them?
Very small - but not because of this issue. The other party would and will do exactly the same thing
They can't be that stupid, can't they?
Unfortunately, yes
Harden the F up, Australia!!
We are following in the footsteps of the US, except out citizens don't have the right to bear arms. Everyone wants change but votes the fucking same.
[Rent This Space]
Soon we'll be sending all women to Saudi Arabia to have their heads cut off.
As soon as the Saudis have the geopolitical clout to make that demand anyway.
Considering the news of the past few years, there must be a contest for the most hated country and the USA are fighting really hard to win. I seems this new move brings them closer to the top, now head to head with North Korea! Well done, Mr "Homeland Security" (I remember my birth country having had a similar security organization many decades ago, was called SS I think). I guess the USA can win this race to the bottom, they were never keen to come second (though Aussies are beating them now as the world's number one per-capita energy hog, na-nah-na-naa-nah!!)
Please, tell me.
The entire media industry is worth less than say the cpu industry. So why the closeness to congress and LEO friends?
How many other industries get such high up help in legal help.
Is it that corrupt and evil?
(I mean the govt, not the honest media industry)
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant.
That's hardly irrelevant. Without the support of a small minority party that has something around 13% of the vote, Labor would not be in the majority. Think about what that means.
Lovely that. So now the Department of Homeland Security - with this new bit of "permission" - can literally extradite anyone and everyone they wish - based on accusation - to be held for unknown amounts of time on US soil - with no hope of defense or fair trial? I came to Australia because I had hopes it would remain relatively free of "US imposed rule". I feel sorry for the Australians that don't have a clue as to what this means exactly. I feel sorry for those ruled over by the US government that don't have a clue as to what this means exactly. I feel remorse that I am still a US citizen, and that people will judge me by my government's actions; and I feel fear merely for the fact that I may no longer speak freely with the threat of the DHS looking for insurgents like myself. It's a pity that the US government has been allowed to descend to the horrible depths it's gone to - by the American People.
YankDownUnder Veni, Vidi, volo in domum redire
I'm definitely going to be voting minority parties this year, though the amazing complexity of the voting system means that no doubt some Lib/Lab cockjockey will end up benefitting from my vote.
I can't believe the political dialogue in this country sometimes. It's like people were born supporting Liberals or Labour, and so they defend that party against all comers, regardless of how godawful the politicians actually are. You can't see the policies for the haze of partisan conflict. But then, both parties' policies are 'whatever the other party does is wrong' with no real thought behind it.
Business/App ideas are like arseholes: everyone's got one, they're mostly shit, but very rarely they contain a diamond
It's not only about money, it's also about power. When you control (or have some influence over) the media, you get to effectively mind-control a lot of the country population and point them in the direction of your interests and spend money where you want them to.
In Australia, we have a situation similar to that of the US. We have 2 major parties one of which is a coalition, but that is irrelevant. Both parties are right of centre and have a secular façade. Both parties have the same contributors, the same policies (albeit a difference in approach), just different 'friends'.
So, in effect, its a one-party state with that one party having two factions. Much like the USA.
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
Australians are led to believe that an independent vote or minor party vote is a wasted vote.
You missed one major point which non-Australians in general may be unfamiliar with: Australia uses instant-runoff voting, in which you rank the candidates in the order of your preference, rather than voting for a single one. So you can put your favourite minority party down as your top preference, and if they don't get in, your vote gets transferred to your second preference, and so on, usually eventually going to the major party that you ranked above the other major party. So there's no such thing as a wasted vote.
Their business depends entirely on the government so they give lots of bribes. Other businesses lobby, but once the government has paid you to build your factory and let you operate it tax free, what else is there to ask for? Copyright on the other hand requires constant vigilance.
The problem with voting for the smaller parties is that they give their vote to either of the other 2 via preferences anyhow.
I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
some Lib/Lab cockjockey will end up benefitting from my vote.
This is a good thing. Preferential voting basically says "if my first choice of candidate X is not going to win, then I'd like my vote to go towards candidate Y instead of being discarded".
Non-preferential voting is partly why the U.S. is locked into a two-party system although compulsory voting probably encourages two-party systems also.