Creeping Government Surveillance Now Without Warrants 78
CuteSteveJobs writes "The Age reports on creeping Australian government surveillance, beginning with the first operation launched on a baseless rumor. Six decades later the still-unaware victim read five months of transcripts with deep distress. Two decades ago few Australians would have consented to carrying a government-accessible tracking device, but phone and tablet data accessible without a warrant includes historic and real-time location data. In 2010-2011 there were 250,000 warrantless accesses by Federal agencies including ASIO, AFP, the Tax Office, Defence, Immigration, Citizenship, Health, Ageing, and Medicare. This is 18 times the rate of similar requests in the U.S."
Re:Well, what do you expect? (Score:4, Informative)
Plus we are now ruled by card carrying hard line anti business communists. Throw in a few strong arm head kicking unionists and the mix is about right.
and remember: (Score:3, Informative)
We have a 100 mile wide "no warrants" zone [aclu.org] adjacent to our entire border. Within which, by the way, 200 million of our citizens live.
Australia has a loooong way to go to catch up to our Orwellian fuckery.
But hey. If you're doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about right? I mean, it's not like they'd just take your money without a warrant or anything, right? RIGHT? [jonathanturley.org]