Slashdot Mirror
Australian Courts Will Be Able To See Your Browsing History
An anonymous reader writes A series of slips by the nation's top cop followed by communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has made Australia's data retention bill even more of a potential horror than it seemed when it was introduced last week, writes Richard Chirgwin in an article about Australia's new legislation. "Lawyers are already gathering, telling the ABC's PM program that metadata could be demanded in family law cases and insurance cases." It continues, with the inevitable result that your internet browsing history will be used against people trying to resist demands during divorce. "What's depressing is that Australians probably won't take to the streets about this issue."
What's depressing is that Australians probably won't take to the streets about this issue.
Really? I'm surprised Australians are even still allowed to take to the streets!
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
Because if the defendant ever starred in some kind of sordid sex act and it ever found its way to the internet, they know it's probably in your internet history.
The thing is, the Australian court doesn't give a fat rats clacker about your personal perversions in a divorce proceeding. They only care about your financial situation.
Sure your S&M habits might have something to do with a sexual assault case, but not a divorce.
Australians simply aren't prudes like Americans.
However I dont expect this law to actually go anywhere (it's not implemented yet) mainly because ISPs are fighting the mandatory data retention laws.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
"If you've done nothing wrong, you've nothing to hide"?
Just today, as a result of following links from Slashdot or the BBC, or looking up or following up on things mentioned in those places, I've browsed several pages about Alessandra and Benito Mussolini, sodomy laws, some stupid anime video on YouTube of which I only watched the first 5-10 seconds (but which now shows up in my YT history just as if I'd actually looked at the whole thing), a 1990s serial killer in Washington State, nuclear proliferation, and the status of women under Islam.
A crafty lawyer or government agent could try to turn that into... God knows what... about me. In court. Where the burden of proof is suddenly shifted on *me* to prove that I'm not a closet Neo-Fascist/homosexual/serial killer/nuclear terrorist/misogynist/anime fan.
KGFY.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
What I do (for different reasons than stated, basically I want USA prices on online purchases, and no censorship restrictions on game purchases in particular):
1. Rent a $30/mo VPS in the USA. Some people will say even that is on the pricey side, but it is with reliable folks that I know and trust, and they're a legit green business, running "carbon-negative".
2. Sell (very) cheap web hosting and support services to a handful of US clients, which makes the VPS purchase totally legit, if anyone were to ask why I have this.
3. Run OpenVPN on my own VPS. My VPN traffic to my own server that I have for legit reasons looks the same as my legit support traffic via SSH to my VPS.
I actually make pocket-change level profit doing this, instead of paying for a commercial VPN.
Note, though, that I am replying to parent - this would do me no good in the problem presented in the OP here - as I do not obscure my local browser history at all, were the German cops to come and take my computers.