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Australian Senate Introduces Laws To Allow Total Internet Surveillance

First time accepted submitter Marquis231 writes New laws due to be passed in Australia allow intelligence agency ASIO to spy on domestic internet traffic like never before. The Sydney Morning Herald reports: "Spy agency ASIO will be given the power to monitor the entire Australian internet and journalists' ability to write about national security will be curtailed when new legislation – expected to pass in the Senate as early as Wednesday – becomes law, academics, media organisations, lawyers, the Greens party and rights groups fear."

4 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Australia voted... for a kick in the nuts. by mjwx · · Score: 5, Informative

    Americans please take note, this is what happens when you elect conservatives.

    To fill in non-Australians on what happened, a few days ago the Australian government launched a massive campaign "to fight terror" which involved 800 police across 3 states and resulted in 16 arrests. All of these people just happened to be Muslim.

    The government made a big song and dance about it but what they didn't say is that 15 of the 16 were released without charge. The 16th man was held because they found a broken taser and 4 unused shotgun rounds in his house. He went to court 2 days ago and the judge with a brain released him with a misdemeanour charge (a fine, no criminal record).

    So this operation has all the hallmarks of a false flag to get bad laws passed on a wave of fear based support... Lo and behold, this appears in parliament.

    America will have elections before we do, we didn't learn from Canada and the UK... Please dont make the same mistakes as we did by voting in the other guy because we hate the current guys. It always ends up worse.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    1. Re:Australia voted... for a kick in the nuts. by Noah+Haders · · Score: 3, Informative

      I'm so over australia. You would think it is a place of independence and freedom, where everybody is like Steve Irwin and crocodile dundee. In fact, it's just another nanny state with totalitarian aspirations. Makes me appreciate the second amendment more and more.

  2. Re:Great by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 5, Informative

    Be aware that Australia is an arm of the ECHELON or "Five Eyes" spying network, also known as AUSCANNZUKUS (for its members, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US). As long as laws exist in any of these countries allowing total internet surveillance, they can simply hand over any information gleaned to the other four parties.

  3. Re:Don't complain... by silanea · · Score: 4, Informative

    I would say the world is going more lefty, with governments consolidating their power bases and censoring/silencing criticism. It's the left that wants to grow the size of government and have it spy on/manipulate as much of peoples' lives as it can. It does this under the guise of benevolence, of 'caring' about the plight of some group, real or imagined, varying by context. The right wants smaller government and more liberty for the individual. [...]

    May I ask which country you are from? When I look at the political spectrum here in Germany, then it is the 'right' wing who simultaneously wants to a) eliminate social services, b) massively grow 'the government' wherever law enforcement and the military are involved and c) put everyone and everything under complete surveillance. It is the left end of the spectrum who wants a leaner government in most departments and strong protections and safeguards for privacy.

    Right and left does not (exclusively and universally) mean what you think it does.

    --
    Rudolf Hess edited Mein Kampf. He was the very first grammar nazi.