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ASIC Seeks Power To Read Your Emails

Posted by samzenpus on from the let's-take-a-look-mate dept.

nemesisrocks writes "ASIC, Australia's version of the SEC, has called for phone call and internet data to be stored by Australian ISPs, in a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into mandatory data retention. Not only does the authority want the powers to intercept the times, dates and details of telecommunications information, it also wants access to the contents of emails, social media chats and text messages."

4 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. It's Psychostory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    According to Harry Seldon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hari_Seldon), if a people begins as a prison colony it must necessarily end up as a police state. It's inevitable.

  2. Encrypt everything by Morgaine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Encryption of all your Internet comms has been recommended forever and a day, but the bulk of the population hasn't bothered so far because the "postman opening letters" hasn't been very overt and in the public eye.

    Now that the politicians are all in the game of demanding their "right" to monitor everything, perhaps it's time that people will respond by finally encrypting everything and telling the police state advocates to sod off and stop terrorizing the population.

    --
    "The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
  3. Re:ASIC SEC? by TheP4st · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Securities and Exchange Commission is the authority that oversee the stock and securities exchange market in the US, ASIC is the Australian equivalent.

    --
    "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
  4. Re:This is how it begins by digitalchinky · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You presume there is some giuding intelligence overseeing these power grabs with a view to a long term outlook. Having spent a big part of my career working for a secret 3 letter Australian agency, the reality seems more like everyone (particularly mid level management) simply needing to show they've been productively adding value between reporting periods. The vision extends no further than this.

    These all start out as imaginary problems, some can be monetized, others enable dot points on power point presentations with much self aggrandizement for those involved.