Promoting And Protecting Digital Rights Since 1994

EFA is an independent non-profit association that relies on membership subscriptions and donations. If you’re concerned about digital rights in Australia, please join or donate today.

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  • Human Rights and Communications Surveillance

    Electronic Frontiers Australia this week signed onto the International Principles of the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance, a set of international due process principles designed to protect privacy in the face of government surveillance. The 13 point statement of principles is intended to explain how existing human rights standards, international law and jurisprudence should apply to the new capabilities and risks of digital surveillance. The principles express the…

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    Saturday 6th July – National Day of Action: Protect our Privacy

    The privacy of all Australians is at threat like never before. These threats include: The US’ global surveillance apparatus, including PRISM Federal Police are accessing phone and internet records up to 1,000 times per week, without warrants Other government and non-government agencies, including the RSPCA and Victorian Taxi Directorate are also regularly accessing phone and internet records, without warrants. The Attorney-General’s Department plans to  implement mandatory retention of data about all internet…

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  • Online surveillance: what is the Australian government hiding?

    EFA has suspected since the existence of the NSA’s global internet surveillance program PRISM was revealed recently by whistleblower Ed Snowden, that Australian intelligence agencies have been receiving information from this program about Australians. Australian intelligence agencies have a long-established close working relationship with their counterparts in the US and other Anglosphere countries under an arrangement known as ‘the Five Eyes’. Last week, Fairfax Media confirmed that Australian intelligence agencies…

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    EFA Evaluation: Australia Post Digital Mailbox beta privacy policy

    Australians can now register for the beta version of Australia Post Digital Mailbox. The service allows mail to be sent to you digitally, to pay bills, and aims to be your go-to storage solution for the business of life, so to speak: Copies of official documents, receipts, and family records, for example. It’s convenient, to be sure, but is this just making it a lot easier for the government to access sensitive…

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  • Folsom PRISM Blues: Nine reasons you don’t have “nothing to hide”

    By Sean Rintel, The University of Queensland & EFA Board Member. This article (with different images) was originally published on 11th June 2013 in:   In the wake of former CIA employee Edward Snowden’s revelations of the PRISM NSA mass surveillance, people are once again asking why the general public should care if they’ve got nothing to hide. “Nothing to hide” hides a lot behind an absolutist gloss. It puts…

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    Is fair use coming to Australia?

    This week, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) released a Discussion Paper as part of its review of Australia’s Copyright laws in the context of the Digital Economy. As had been previously indicated, this Discussion Paper recommends the introduction of the principle of fair use into Australia’s copyright regime. As ALRC Commissioner Jill McKeough said in their media release: “The reforms proposed include the introduction of a broad, flexible exception…

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What We Do

Policy

We actively monitor a number of policy areas and specific issues. The topics below provide a detailed view of EFA’s policy positions.

Copyright

Australia’s copyright laws are outdated, inflexible and not fit for the digital age. As such, EFA is a long-standing supporter of reform of Australia’s Copyright Act.

Privacy & Security

Privacy is fundamentally about consent and control over access to information, and goes hand-in-hand with security. Privacy is a human right.

Censorship

Adults should be able to make their own informed decisions about what content they create and consume.

Encryption

Access to encryption technologies is vital for individuals and groups to be able to safeguard the security and privacy of their information.

Internet Safety

Surveillance is not safety. Safety for whom, against what? This complex problem is more likely to be exacerbated, rather than solved, by measures that allow for unaccountable surveillance and the undermining of communications security.

Surveillance

EFA is committed to ensuring that Australian’s home life is not subject to arbitrary interference.