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Australia is becoming a surveillance state

ia.acs.org.au

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Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#101

Post by georgeplusplus »

L_226 wrote: post #66

Since leaving Australia (and started living in Europe) I have come to the conclusion that Australia is not a "real" country - it is just a continent owned by corporate interests that happens to also have people living on it. Corporate interests own the media, politicians, food production, education etc. and no one cares, because Life Is Good. Why expect anything to change, or people to care about strong democratic in…

Came here to say almost 80% of the countries economy is dependent on China. So let’s call the corporate interests what they are. Tributes to the CCP.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#102

Post by RileyJames »

CTDOCodebases wrote: post #35
RileyJames wrote: post #8

Since 2015 and the meta data laws it’s no wonder things have continued to get worse. There was practically no opposition to the meta data laws. No popular resistance. No protests. It’s a non-issue for the public or political class. The extent to which non-tech people in my social circles care is to switch to signal. Not that they’ve stopped using the other tools. There seems to be a “what else can we do” attitude. Un…

I blame NewsCorp and Nine Entertainment as well as the “she’ll be right” attitude of most fellow Aussies. It’s kind of funny the way the media cried when the Federal Police raided the ABC and they cried victim. Yet dodgy law after dodgy law gets passed and no one bats an eyelid. The relationship the media has with government is disturbing but I guess they are bought and paid for now that the News Media Bargaining Cod…

There’s really too many to name at this point.

The bikie laws in Queensland.

Permits for protests which can denied on the basis of ‘harmed local commercial interests’.

Terror police being sent after the friendlyjordies.

Let alone the corruption (nsw libs, barrier reef grant, detention Center security contracts) & complete lack of accountability (Angus Taylor)

It was sad to see the recent protests in the name of ‘freedom’, when in reality it was about government support. Which I support them to get, it just saddens me that that’s the extent of collective action.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#103

Post by baazaa »

hexa22 wrote: post #10
RileyJames wrote: post #8

Since 2015 and the meta data laws it’s no wonder things have continued to get worse. There was practically no opposition to the meta data laws. No popular resistance. No protests. It’s a non-issue for the public or political class. The extent to which non-tech people in my social circles care is to switch to signal. Not that they’ve stopped using the other tools. There seems to be a “what else can we do” attitude. Un…

There are far bigger issues in Australia right now to care about meta data logging. Climate change and now the vaccine delay consume all of the publics attention. Metadata logging is a theoretical issue while the lack of vaccine supplies is a very real and immediate issue.

You're not wrong. I find it hard to take articles like this seriously when there's the more pressing issue of still being under effective house arrest (which has now gone for about a year with no end in sight).

Hell the premier implemented a curfew and said it was due to public health advice, the public health advisors denied it, then he said it was on the advice of the police, and they denied, and that was that. No further questions asked why we implemented a curfew for fun. In this environment it's positively quaint the idea that our cyber laws are the thin edge of the wedge.

I would leave, but like North Korea, it's against the law for citizens to leave the country.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#104

Post by stavros »

logicchains wrote: post #90
shric wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Link 2 is a 404 for me. Hilariously, Australians protest about their rights by trying their best to extend lockdowns further [1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/24/anti-...

Why is it hilarious? The whole point of human rights is they they don't just disappear whenever there's an emergency, otherwise the next dictator who comes along will just declare an emergency and violate everyone's rights, as has happened countless times in history. It's sad not funny that people protesting their rights being violated just leads to their rights being violated even more.

So, in your view, human rights cannot be suspended, even if there is an emergency? So things like banning indoor meetings should be allowed to continue, even when there is a pandemic?

I didn't protest the lockdowns because it seems reasonable to me that you'd want to ban proximity to curtail the spread of a disease that spreads by proximity. That doesn't mean I won't protest a dictator just declaring an emergency and violating everyone's rights.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#105

Post by BLKNSLVR »

noxer wrote: post #86
L_226 wrote: post #66

Since leaving Australia (and started living in Europe) I have come to the conclusion that Australia is not a "real" country - it is just a continent owned by corporate interests that happens to also have people living on it. Corporate interests own the media, politicians, food production, education etc. and no one cares, because Life Is Good. Why expect anything to change, or people to care about strong democratic in…

Don't forget they disarmed the people. If some people ever start to care they wont have the boomstick power. They maybe be upside down but authoritarian regimes work the same, secure the monopoly on force by removing arms is a key step for any authoritarian gov.

Guns in the hands of the Australians who want guns in their hands is an outcome that's about a thousand times worse than a "disarmed people".

Also, anyone think that a US civilian militia has more than a snowball's chance in hell against any committed government-deployed force?

Tell 'im 'e's dreamin'

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#106

Post by api »

wormseed wrote: post #80
L_226 wrote: post #66

Since leaving Australia (and started living in Europe) I have come to the conclusion that Australia is not a "real" country - it is just a continent owned by corporate interests that happens to also have people living on it. Corporate interests own the media, politicians, food production, education etc. and no one cares, because Life Is Good. Why expect anything to change, or people to care about strong democratic in…

Australia's covid policy of indefinitely banning citizens from leaving was the last straw for me. I won't be back.

I have mocked the anti-maskers and especially anti-vaxxers, but this crosses a line on the other end of the spectrum.

I would only support an actual ban on mobility if it were to quarantine the virus in one place, like if the Chinese had locked down Wuhan before it managed to get out.

That ship has sailed of course. It’s all over the damn place, so there is not much to be gained by travel bans.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#107

Post by api »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #91
BFLpL0QNek wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was written in 1964 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lucky_Country , it still rings true today.

Have to quote this bit for those too lazy to follow the link: Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise.

Sounds like a weird slacker version of the resource curse.

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#108

Post by privacyking »

thisone22 wrote: post #89
privacyking wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Australia is often used as a testing ground since it's part of five eyes and a) people there don't have many legally enshrined rights (no bill of rights) besides stuff like right to political expression and religion, and b) the population is complacent and won't kick up a fuss about the immoral crap the government enacts.

... this is such nonsense ... do you pay any attention at all to the politics of the US, Canada, NZ or the UK? Do you really think they're in a dark room coordinating their laws with Australian government, deciding who will go first?

Which part do you think is nonsense? As for dark room coordination, how should I know?

It wouldn't surprise me though given the CIA coup'd Australia back in the 70s over Pine Gap (their spy facility in Australia).

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#109

Post by thisone22 »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #78
lethologica wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what are we Aussies missing out on then?

You don't because you are living in a period where everything is wonderul for Australia. You know what they say: everybody is a genius in a bull market. So you have sun, good food, plenty of money and little immigration. Life is good (if you are not living in the desert naked). Unfortunatly, there is nowhere in the world where things stay nice and easy. The run ended in europe after 1970, it ended in the US after 199…

'So you have sun, good food, plenty of money and little immigration.'

Australia has one of the highest rates of inbound immigration in the world. Number 2 in the OECD actually, right after Luxembourg.

And I, like the overwhelming majority of Australians, consider high immigration intakes to be a good thing.

Check your sources.

[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migratio...

[2] https://data.oecd.org/migration/foreign-born-population.htm

[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133441/australia-attitu...

Re: Australia is becoming a surveillance state

#110

Post by Cyril_HN »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #105
noxer wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget they disarmed the people. If some people ever start to care they wont have the boomstick power. They maybe be upside down but authoritarian regimes work the same, secure the monopoly on force by removing arms is a key step for any authoritarian gov.

Guns in the hands of the Australians who want guns in their hands is an outcome that's about a thousand times worse than a "disarmed people". Also, anyone think that a US civilian militia has more than a snowball's chance in hell against any committed government-deployed force? Tell 'im 'e's dreamin'

That's not the point. The point is that it means a government must resort to violence and it may be unwilling to do so. Whereas if people don't have guns, then the government can be incredibly overpowering without having to step over the threshold of violence, which makes it more likely.
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