Spy Laws Track Mobile Phones and Internet Browsing

[s4l]

Author: Tom Allard National Security Editor

Date: September 17, 2007

Source: SMH Online

Copyright: Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald

 

SECURITY agencies would be able to secretly track people via their mobile phones and monitor their internet browsing for up to three months without obtaining a warrant under new laws due to go before the Senate this week.

 

The powers could be used in a range of even relatively minor criminal investigations, not just terrorism cases.

 

They would allow ASIO and federal and state police forces to demand that phone companies and internet service providers stream information to them in "near real-time" - just a few minutes after calls are made or websites visited. The information would have to be provided for up to 90 days for ASIO investigations, and 45 days if state or federal police are involved.

 

Justified as a counter-terrorism measure, the legislation has already been passed by government and Labor members of the lower house. But it remains deeply unpopular with legal experts and privacy advocates.

 

As well as not requiring a warrant signed by a judicial officer, the powers could be used in any criminal investigation into a suspected offence that carries a jail term of three years or more.

 

The regime applies to all "telecommunications data", including the time and destination of phone calls made and received, the duration of the calls and the location of the callers.

 

For computers, security agencies would be told what website addresses and chat rooms the user has visited and what files have been downloaded. The laws would also enable authorities to track internet conversations.

 

Security agencies would still need a judicial warrant to listen in on phone calls, or peruse emails.

 

The Greens senator Kerry Nettle said the powers would allow authorities to glean huge amounts of information. Every mobile phone could potentially become a tracking device for police and ASIO.

 

The bill "is more like something from East Germany than a party claiming to support liberal principles", she said. "There is no judicial oversight. Police and ASIO should have to get a warrant to track and tap people's mobile phones or web browsing."

 

The Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, was unavailable for comment yesterday. He has previously said the laws do not constitute new powers for security agencies, but a "more systematic and appropriate controls over the existing access framework".

 

But the legislation's own explanatory memorandum says the regime for "prospective" telecommunications data - the streaming of near real-time information for up to 90 days - is new.

 

The Law Council of Australia argues that technological advances mean the powers pose new dangers to privacy. Tracking someone with a mobile phone was far easier than secretly affixing a listening device without breaking and entering, it said. Therefore the proposed powers were "far more amenable to misuse or over-use by law enforcement agencies".

 

 

When will this bullshit stop, it seems that our rights are being eroded more and more. Everywhere is becoming more like 1984 with big brother being able to track our every move.

[Tarnicus]

That is completely fucked. The way this country is going we'll all have to get just to have basic human rights.

[freddie]

Tracking your mobile phone is bad enough but the bit that worries me is this:

 

For computers, security agencies would be told what website addresses and chat rooms the user has visited and what files have been downloaded. The laws would also enable authorities to track internet conversations.

 

Laws don't get much worse than this. I wonder if there's a chance it wont pass through the senate?

 

Will it stop people from visiting this site? I may have a re think as my understanding of internet security is pretty woeful.

[jojothepotfiend]

Will it stop people from visiting this site? I may have a re think as my understanding of internet security is pretty woeful.

 

Yes it would definitely stop people using the site.

 

But this is fucked. I really don't think something like this could be passed.....but if it does, I'll probably want to move somewhere else. Canada might be nice.

 

[Tarnicus]

Will it stop people from visiting this site? I may have a re think as my understanding of internet security is pretty woeful.

 

If it passes I certainly wouldn't come here anymore. I also wouldn't talk about all the games, movies, tv shows and music I download 40gb+ of per month, nor would I discuss any form of political dissention. If this passes I'll go bush earlier than I intend to

[Pure]

At the end of the day what we provide here is information and nothing more than that People are warned not to break the law here and provided the rules are followed you really give no-one anythign to worry about. As for sharing your grows pretty muc everyone here is a small scale grower many of whom have never seen a court before for growing meaning that the likely punishment your looking at is a fine ( putting you out of the 3 year scope mentioned ) The fact we use an ssl connection will also stop simple packet sniffing from happening however we may move to a self signed certificate that we change regularly to keep them at a minimum working at crackign the new key, we also have measures in place that will stop them from being able to intercept the packets if that day comes that they can simply just sniff ssl easly and unrecognisably. There is always a way around my friends and you can be sure that here we take care of you in that respect , everythign server side is well taken care of and we are prepaired for whats potentially to come

 

 

As for this specific bill I don't think it will pass and it is not the first time an act like this has slithered it's way past the lower house

 

we can only live and hope

[Tarnicus]

As for sharing your grows pretty muc everyone here is a small scale grower many of whom have never seen a court before for growing meaning that the likely punishment your looking at is a fine ( putting you out of the 3 year scope mentioned )

 

The penalties for growing unfortunately do carry a maximum sentence of higher than 3 years, especially if you grow indoors in NSW. Now whilst you almost definitely won't get sentenced like that (fines are much more likely from what I have read) the potential is still 3+ years therefore some may well be covered by this legislation.

 

As for this specific bill I don't think it will pass and it is not the first time an act like this has slithered it's way past the lower house

 

Now that is a relief. It is the first time I have heard of legislation like this (besides the other fucked 'anti-terrorism' laws) so it definitely had their desired effect and caught me offguard.

[themanwhoinventedmeh]

somehow i dont think asio wouldnt have already performed a few of these tasks already. i mean its obvious they already do shit with mobiles and telephones, and its not like we invented the internet for them, who really does have total control of that internet streaming? who invents the encryptors? or maybe im just paranoid.

 

peace

[Frazz]

I think this bill will definately pass if HoWARd wants it too ... his party of idiot morons has ruling control of both houses of government ..

 

Long Live Free Australia .... death to the capatilist pigs of war ... ... bleh

 

[grok]

thanks for the reassurance Pure!!.. man..that George Orwell was a visionary alright...only he couldnt envision the complexity of modern telecommunications or his book 1984 would have been even better!!

 

the anti terroism laws are a crock of shit...their purpose is to enable greater control of the populace...ie less freedom

 

this new bill is just more of the same....their goal is total control of the people.

 

the goal of the people is freedom from oppressive regimes/governments.

 

ie..the people are at war with the govt...(true!!)..or is it?...

 

theoretically we have freedom of speech...however that is obviously a nontruth.

 

people cant say what they want on tv...(cant even swear with words like 'the govt is a bunch of crazy fucking cunts!!)

 

people cant even say what they want on this site(some topics are banned..eg 'dealing')

 

the more self sufficent you can become(non reliant on others) the harder it is for 'them' to control you....

 

...hmm...ponders deeply....