[LINK] Inquiry to examine Australian internet, phone surveillance

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Sigh ..

"Warrantless Aussie surveillance requests were nearly 300,000 last year"

For 20 million of us that's *one person in every 66 spied on* and without
a warrant. One in 66 equals six Linkers. What a bunch of privacy perverts.


Inquiry to Examine Australian Internet, Phone Surveillance

By Ben Grubb December 13, 2013 
<http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/inquiry-to-examine-australian-
internet-phone-surveillance-20131212-hv5j8.html>


A Senate committee will examine internet and telephone surveillance by law 
enforcement and security agencies after Labor backed a Greens motion for an 
inquiry on Thursday.

The motion was passed after several recent unsuccessful attempts to launch 
similar inquiries. 

It was not supported by the government.

Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam said the inquiry would break 
"the complicity of silence about surveillance in Australia".

It would also open up an opportunity for Australian experts, agencies and 
individuals to participate in "a conversation of what surveillance is 
necessary and proportionate".

The committee will be charged with a comprehensive review of the 
Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 in reference to 
recommendations of a 2008 report conducted by the Australian Law Reform 
Commission titled "For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and 
Practice". Ref: <http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/report-108>

It will also examine recommendations from a report tabled earlier this year 
by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. That 
inquiry was tasked with examining more than 40 potential reforms of 
Australia's national security legislation. 

Ref<http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_repres
entatives_committees?url=pjcis/nsl2012/report.htm>

"A review of the deeply flawed Telecommunications (Interception and Access) 
Act is well overdue," Senator Ludlam said.

"Amended no less than 45 times since the events of 11 September 2001, it is 
the tool used to bug and snoop on Australians."

Senator Ludlam noted that since 2007, warrantless surveillance of 
Australians through access to telecommunications data has been possible, 
with requests of nearly 300,000 in the past financial year.

Ref: <http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/access-to-private-
net-phone-use-up-by-20--without-warrants-20121130-2amwp.html>

"Since the revelations of Edward Snowden, the Senate has repeatedly voted 
to avoid knowing what is going on until today, failing in its primary duty 
as a parliament."

Cheers,
Stephen

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