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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

#41
> The growing surveillance powers in Australia have been in the spotlight recently following the passage of the Identify and Disrupt bill last month. This handed “extraordinary” new powers to the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, allowing them to access three new warrants to access the computers and networks of those suspected of conducting criminal activity, “disrupt” their data and take over their accounts covertly.

By the time complacency ends, it will be too late.

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

#42

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 s…

Be careful - they’ve redefined ‘warrant’. For some of the hacking, they no longer need a warrant from a judge, but can get a “warrant” from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (a body which concerns have been raised about it having been fairly heavily stacked with failed Liberal party candidates, Liberal party ex-staffers, etc. with no legal training or experience).

There is even some provision for being able to declare it’s an emergency and just getting an internal “emergency authorisation”. So a lot of it has become (by law) actually warrantless.

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

#43
post #2

No, we are not complacent. If we leave our home detention to protest anything we are arrested. Where the fuck can I claim asylum?

With the US keeping the land border closed, it will soon be impossible to leave Canada without being vaccinated (or bribing a border guard).

It's a forgone conclusion that no country in the world will let you in without proof of COVID vaccination.

This has been the status quo for dozens and dozens of countries around the world with regards to for example Yellow Fever Vaccination, so it's nothing new at all. Many people just didn't know about it because they never tried to go to those countries before (West Africa is my personal experience)

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

#44

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.

There have been emergency health measures in place in a couple of states but most states have very few restrictions. Australians pay much less for health care than most places and our health system is run very lean so we have to be cautious until we reach vaccination targets.

If they let it rip there would be even more people protesting that they couldn't get into hospital.

Everything is open where I live. Plenty of people out and about last weekend. Festivals, bbqs in parks, people at beaches and restaurants. My kids have lost more days of school to teacher training than covid restrictions in the last two years.

There have been a few incidents in other states but they don't define the whole country.

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

#45
I'm becoming more and more despondent by the day here.

I'll preface this with, I chose to be vaccinated - I believe the science, however...

I watch people allow the Government and Corporations infringe on peoples body autonomy through mandatory vaccination. If you don't received a vaccine by a certain date - you'll lose your right to work in essential industries (it's a lot broader than just aged care or health care).

If you protest(ed) this, you're labelled selfish, an anti-vaxxer or conspiracy theorist. You're pepper sprayed or shot with rubber bullets - All enabled through health mandates - designed to protect your health (last I checked pepper spray will cause coughing and potential aerosol transmission).

We officially have the most locked down state in the world yet we have a higher vaccination rate than North America.

While our fully vaxxed rates lag behind the EU, our first dose coverage is marginally greater with an assumption that the fully vaxxed rate will catch up and potentially surpass.

We have minimal deaths, but at a great cost to our freedom. When we do get our 'freedom' it'll be with surveillance and vaccine passports. Those who have decided not to be coerced into having a vaccine will not be allowed to participate in the economy and society at large.

I fear this has set a precedent in this Country and we will see this occur again and again.

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

#46
post #29
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I live in Melbourne, the most locked down city in the world.

We have substantially lower death rates than Florida, which has a comparable population.

Florida: 3,600,000 covid cases 56,667 deaths

Melbourne: 54,470 covid cases 913 deaths

This remains true for the rest of Australia. Unfortunately, we are in a remarkable position compared to many parts of the world.

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

#47
post #24

Covid, like 9/11 is a Trojan horse being used to turn seemingly sane people into fanatics who will support any measure to defeat the enemy. Watching people I used to respect become hateful shells of their former selves has been extremely unpleasant.

Can you give an example? “Sane people” who used to believe what and now believe what? Who or what is their enemy in this covid scenario?

In which way are they hateful?

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

#48

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 ele…

You definitely highlight something many miss, which is that this really is a war waged on people by their fellow countrymen. It's nice to imagine a "them" that wants to repress people, but it's always actually your friends and neighbors. That's why countries have constitutions and charters of rights and freedoms, to protect against a tyranny of the majority. Currently we have chosen to ignore these, or found out they are not strong enough, and I hope in time we can imagine what it would be like if our opponents had broad powers and properly limit what government is able to impose on people.

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

#49
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the US keeping the land border closed, it will soon be impossible to leave Canada without being vaccinated (or bribing a border guard).

It's a forgone conclusion that no country in the world will let you in without proof of COVID vaccination. This has been the status quo for dozens and dozens of countries around the world with regards to for example Yellow Fever Vaccination, so it's nothing new at all. Many people just didn't know about it because they never tried to go to those countries before (West Africa is my personal experience)

"nothing new at all" lol. When I was a kid you could cross the border into Canada without even showing a passport.

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

#50
post #29
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

A lot fewer per-capita deaths?
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