EFA’s testimony to the Senate TIA Act Inquiry
On 29th July 2014, EFA Executive Officer Jon Lawrence and Alex Vulkanovski from EFA’s Policy & Research Standing Committee testified before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee in relation to the Committee’s Inquiry into the Comprehensive revision of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979. Read EFA’s submission to the Inquiry [PDF, 571KB] Here is an extract from […]
No justification for society-wide mandatory data retention scheme
EFA is alarmed that Cabinet’s National Security Committee has signed off on the fast-track implementation of a mandatory data retention scheme, apparently citing the ‘rising threat of home grown terrorism’. The Daily Telegraph reports [paywalled] that the government is believed to be seeking “an interim data retention measure…to be introduced as early as September to […]
New intelligence powers: what’s included
By Thomas Karpiniec, Chair of EFA’s Policy & Research Standing Committee. Last week, Attorney-General George Brandis introduced an omnibus bill to the Senate that seeks to update the legislation governing the operations of Australia’s intelligence services. Three weeks ago, we reviewed the proposals that were expected to be included in this tranche of legislation. The […]
Diverse international coalition warns about copyright dangers in TPP
Social media companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and Internet user groups speak out about copyright dangers in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement With secretive TPP talks intensifying in Ottawa Canada, business leaders have sent a letter raising concerns about how the TPP could force online service providers to act as Internet cops, raising costs and potentially putting […]
Police using mobile phone tower dumps for fishing expeditions
Fairfax Media is today reporting that Australian police are receiving metadata dumps from mobile phone towers. These data dumps provide information about “the identity, activity and location of any phone that connects to targeted cell towers over a set span of time, generally an hour or two. A typical dump covers multiple towers, and mobile […]