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Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

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Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#21

Post by hresvelgr »

To anyone not from Australia or not across this, currently federal law enforcement can hack online accounts, remove, add, or modify data. They still need a warrant but can hack accounts in advance of a warrant, provided they have "reasonable suspicion" that the person they are hacking is committing a crime. There is also no recourse if the warrant is denied and they have already hacked the accounts of the person in suspicion.

Having read The Gulag Archipelago, I am worried what will become of Australia in coming decades. While I am in opposition to how the current government operates, they're only part of the problem because the Identify and Disrupt bill flew through the senate in a day with support from both major parties. Not even taking into account that the suggested amendments to the bill to remove the broad clauses were ignored and the bill was passed anyway.

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#22

Post by AndrewBissell »

_kbh_ wrote: post #12
chroem- wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone who has crossed state lines in the last two weeks is required to follow those quarantine measures. They have fewer than 10 deaths per state combined with very high vaccination rates. From the outside looking in, it seems wholly unjustified.

The reason we have such low deaths is because of the measures in place. They are slowly changing as vaccination targets are met and life should be back to normalish by December.

How will the Australian state's vaccination targets be met without maintaining the restrictions which are used to coerce people into getting vaccinated? Things might be somewhat relaxed by December just because it's summer in Australia, but I have a hard time seeing you go the way of "just live with it like the flu" like Denmark or Singapore over the long term.

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#23

Post by grecy »

I've just returned to Australia after 15 years living all around the world, and I find it all fascinating and I have a bit of perspective on this.

The Australian media have a very strong influence on people's lives - they daily create some uproar or other that people get addicted to, wound up about, and then forget. Two weeks ago it was the nuclear sub deal with USA (and dropping France), then it was some state leader resigning, then it was how Covid was badly handled, then it was... You get the idea.

Anyway, what the media doesn't do is report on things the government doesn't want them to, like all the new surveillance laws being passed. Or when they do, it's very much labelled as "in your best interest" and "think of the children" and all that. Even if there is a 10 second mention of how this might be stepping on our privacy, there are quickly a line of experts saying that is not the case and that is clearly wrong.

I watched a random segment about people protesting covid restrictions and they dropped the nugget "using encrypted communication apps on their phone to coordinate". My Dad immediately jumped to the conclusion that encrypted communications the police can't read is obviously a bad thing. So the Australian media works hand-in-hand with the government to keep everyone distracted, and to paint a very one-sided picture.

It was fascinating to watch the whole "Facebook and Google must pay Rupert Murdoch money every time anyone posts a link to one of his news sites" play out from abroad, then come here and see what Australians know about it. The Australian law literally says Google and FB have to give money to Rupert Murdoch, but Australians think it's about getting FB and Google to pay their fair share of taxes. I've talked to dozens of people who say things like "That money will help build schools and hospitals, Facebook can certainly afford it." (which is utterly untrue)

I find the majority here are severely misinformed, because the media inside the country is very controlled (And of course Australian don't know that, and get offended if I try to point that out or discuss it)

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#25

Post by chroem- »

willbw wrote: post #16
e67f70028a46fba wrote: post #9

They aren’t complacent. They are harassed, beaten and arrested if they object. Absolutely disgusting what the government there is doing to our Australian brothers and sisters. And of course no media coverage to speak of in the states.

Would be interested to see your sources for the occurrence of harassment, beating and arrest.

Here you go dude:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victo...

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#26

Post by bobbytit »

willbw wrote: post #16
e67f70028a46fba wrote: post #9

They aren’t complacent. They are harassed, beaten and arrested if they object. Absolutely disgusting what the government there is doing to our Australian brothers and sisters. And of course no media coverage to speak of in the states.

Would be interested to see your sources for the occurrence of harassment, beating and arrest.

Every single attempt at protesting against this tyranny has resulted in an overwhelming display of force by the police. If people are even slightly non-compliant when approached they are violently thrown on the ground and sat on.

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#27

Post by version_five »

Canada's only been marginally better. There's evidently a latent authoritarianism in the Anglosphere that has been activated by covid. The weird thing is that it literally seems to be in inverse proposition to how bad the epidemic actually is in a place. Australia, almost no cases, makes the GDR look like a libertarian paradise. US, way more heavily affected, mostly already moved on. And its certainly not causal. The Australian repression of its citizens had all been reactionary, its not like it's actually changed the net outcome.

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#29

Post by 6nf »

_kbh_ wrote: post #12
chroem- wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone who has crossed state lines in the last two weeks is required to follow those quarantine measures. They have fewer than 10 deaths per state combined with very high vaccination rates. From the outside looking in, it seems wholly unjustified.

The reason we have such low deaths is because of the measures in place. They are slowly changing as vaccination targets are met and life should be back to normalish by December.

Australia spent 300 billion in one year on the covid response, and what do we have to show for it?

Re: Australians ‘complacent’ to rapid growth in digital surveillance

#30

Post by afarviral »

I live in NZ and feel that commentors of our govts approach overstate the level of authoritarianism we're experiencing. Its not universal but it feels more like the majority of people recognize that lockdowns and other restrictions are for the greater good. If you are arrested you are not going to be "disapeared", you will be processed like anyone else breaking a law. While we might collectively trust the current elected govt, I dont automatically trust that a future govt won't abuse new laws hastily written to lawfully restrict peope though. Anyway, mostly just came here to say how comical it seems when we're compared with genuine dictatoriships ruled by autocrats where you can simply be dissapeared if you step out of line. We're far from that and its just media bating. There's a conflict between being able to protest by gathering and spreading covid... Agree in the long term laws restricting congregating need to be monitored and disestablished. Its no mystery that kiwis feel part of a team when the current govt has done pretty well with its propaganda, but Its the approach Id have taken too.
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