[LINK] How the parties trick you into handing over personal information

[Roger Clarke]

At 13:37 +1000 8/8/13, Andy Farkas wrote:
>It seems the political parties are harvesting personal information using
>a pretty deceptive method of tricking you with postal votes:
>   <http://www.crikey.com.au/?p=389752>
>And to top it off:
>"The Rudd Labor government tried to change the rules in 2010, proposing
>that forms had to be returned to the AEC directly and prohibiting written
>material (i.e. political advertising) being sent alongside the forms. The
>Coalition opposed those changes, and watered-down amendments were passed
>instead."

APF drew this scam to the Electoral Commissioner's attention the last 
two times around, in 2010 and 2007 (as did Crikey): 
http://www.privacy.org.au/Papers/AEC-100723.pdf

The Electoral Commissioner says he can't do a thing about it:
http://www.privacy.org.au/Papers/AEC-Reply-100723.pdf

It's another instance of the people we appoint as our agents, i.e. 
our elected representatives in parliaments, acting in their own 
interests and not those of the principal, us.

Now would be a good time for people to complain to the politicians 
when they're out on the hustings, kissing babies and knocking on 
doors.

-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 6916                        http://about.me/roger.clarke
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University