back to article More interception, less scrutiny as Oz Senate passes wiretap laws

Australia’s Senate has passed amendments to that country’s wiretap laws, allowing security agency ASIO to pass information across a wide range of government agencies, and apparently to conduct wiretaps on behalf of those agencies. According to Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, the Australian Security Intellgence Organisation (ASIO …

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  1. Mark 65
    Big Brother

    Time to crack out the VPN

    It seems that if you've done nothing wrong you now have everything to hide.

    1. Danny 14
      Unhappy

      but

      wasnt this supposed to be done on deep packet inspection at ISP level? VPN wont help you there. Possibly a sat phone running data (!!) might help.

      1. James Ashton
        Thumb Up

        VPNs OS OK

        You buy a VPN service from an OS provider. There are various flavours of VPN that appear to have encryption good enough to thwart the likes of ASIO. The trick lies in deciding which country to choose with the US and UK not looking good. I would have though Sweden might be a good choice until recently. There were some buccaneers there offering this kind of service but now you'd have to worry that you'd wind up in the frame for some kind of virtual sex offence and be extradited there:-). A VPN to anywhere should still at least make ASIO's life quite a bit harder though it might make you look more interesting to them too.

        The tin-foil hat guys still have to worry about:

        * ASIO breaking in to your place and planting keystroke loggers or similar;

        * Back-doors in the VPN client you're using;

        * ASIO cooperating with their equivalent in the country you've chosen;

        * The VPN provider is a front for or infiltrated by spooks from somewhere;

        * etc., etc., etc.

  2. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Graham Marsden

      @I just wish

      Whereas I wish that the arrogant pillocks who are in power would stop thinking that *they* know best for the rest of us and would all decide to emigrate to the middle of nowhere so they can pass all the laws they want to their heart's content and enjoy living under their own rule whilst the rest of us are allowed to get on with our lives!

    2. Peter Murphy
      Unhappy

      I just wish the Aussies KNEW about this.

      Did I learn about this from the big Australian corporate news agencies - the Newscorps and Fairfaxes? The ones with the biggest readerships down under? Did I fuck. I learned about it from The Register.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Always a bad sign

    when the government can't explain just what it is doing and the opposition waves it on through anyway. Weren't there supposed to be checks and balances built right into the system?

    1. Big-nosed Pengie

      Checks and balances

      Yes, they're supposed to be built in, but as long as idiot voters keep electing two parties with identical policies, they're not worth a pinch of wombat pooh.

  4. JaitcH
    FAIL

    The Australians are simply trying to ...

    out do the U.S. Homeland Security and FBI. This appears to be the criteria they use in so many government activities.

    Very sad for a nation that was well known for it's independent thought.

    Besides, what do kangaroo's and Kuala Bears or even feral rabbits know that the government has to invade people's privacy so much?

  5. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    Happy

    You talk, I stutter.

    Could it be that the Aussie government has finally bought the idea that they are all descended from crims?

    This is beyond belief - what are they scared of? The natives rising up and taking the country back?

    Seriously - these guys need to be given the Clockwork Orange treatment and made to watch "The Lives of Others"

  6. Goat Jam
    Grenade

    Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

    "Since the Labor government and Liberal opposition voted together in both houses of parliament"

    Yep, that is standard operating procedure in our so called "democracies"

    Sure, they will argue long and loud over side issues, but when it comes to increasing the methods they can use to oppress their subjects, the left and right are in lock-step all the way.

    Of course the libs voted for it. They'll have their turn at the trough soon enough after all.

    Is it time for the revolution yet?

    No, too many sheeple who couldn't give a toss as long as they can still afford to drive a humongous road penis from their soulless MacMansion to their soul destroying desk job with an endless supply of mind numbing reality TV for the rest of the time that they're not asleep.

  7. Aussie Brusader
    Big Brother

    Getting data is only a small part of the operation

    You then need people to trawl through it and find the interesting stuff, and then pass it on to the departments that actually want or need it. Then they have to rinse and repeat.

    ASIO have been doing a lot of advertising on the interwebs lately for extra staff.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    So,

    The Oz security agency is openly a servant of all facets of their government. Funny, I thought security agencies were allowed extra-legal powers because it was necessary to protect the nation. Not to control it. Yeah, i know it's legal by definition, but it sure ain't moral or democratic.

    Not crowing about it, mind, because I'm sure BritGov has similar plans.

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