George Brandis set to require internet, phone companies hold customer data for two years
Date July 15, 2014 - 3:17PM
Attorney-General George Brandis has signalled the government could move to introduce laws forcing internet and phone companies to keep customers records for up to two years.
But the so-called data retention laws will not be part of legislation the government is planning to introduce on Wednesday that will grant new surveillance powers to Australia's spy agencies.
Under those changes, ASIO and other intelligence agencies would be able to hack into a third party's computer to access a target computer and infiltrate entire computer networks on a single warrant.
The government is planning further security reforms later this year that will, in part, seek to address concerns about the threat posed by up to 150 Australians who are currently involved with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria.
Senator Brandis told colleagues at Tuesday's meeting of Coalition MPs that while the first tranche of reforms contained no data retention provisions, "this is the way the west is moving". He pointed out Britain had recently introduced a data retention bill, to deal with the fact that the European Court of Justice had struck down a European data retention directive.
Most of the changes to be introduced to Parliament on Wednesday are based on a bipartisan report last year produced by the high-powered Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security.
But Senator Brandis said on Tuesday that one additional measure would be included - a new penalty for security agency officers who take information without authority.
At present it is an offence to pass that information on to a third party, but this can at times be difficult to prove.
Senator Brandis also moved to reassure colleagues in Tuesday's party room meeting that the first tranche of reforms would contain sufficient safeguards for civil liberties.
He said the first tranche of changes took into account the government's primary obligation to keep the community safe and had been approached in a "careful, thorough and considered way rather than in a hasty and reactive way".
SOURCE - SMH - here.
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COMMENT
Here we go.
In the name of national security, the Aussies are going to introduce legislation that enables them to share information with US and other agencies, copying the UK (who seem to work for the US NSA), where the UK's introduced data retention laws to bypass the European Court of Justice decision.
Is it the way the west is going -- or just the way the west wants to go?
Is there sufficient justification to encroach on civil liberties, when were are talking 150 Syrian &; Iraq patriots (presumably) doing their patriotic thing? How is this a threat to an entire nation - of the kind that requires far-reaching incursions on civil liberties?
So the powers that be are going to band together and spy on everyone collectively, sharing information and violating their citizens' privacy and freedoms in the name of 'security'?
Sounds like some kind of worldwide totalitarian secret police thing happening.
Good luck protecting freedom of press, freedom of information or any other freedoms in the west.
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EDIT - see also:
Australian govt says data retention won't be like failed EU directive
Summary: Talking points obtained under Freedom of Information state that any mandatory data retention regime in Australia would be different to the European directive that was thrown out by the European Court of Justice.
...
Labor MP calls for data retention
In a speech to Parliament yesterday, the chair of the committee at the time of the report, Labor MP Anthony Byrne, called on the government to implement a mandatory data retention regime.
"If a government is concerned and is making the right noises about being concerned about this nation's security, it must give its agencies all of the suite of the powers that it needs to deal with the terrorist threat. And it has not done so," he said.
"I would urge the attorney-general... to bring all of the suites of the powers that the intelligence agencies have been asking for for some period of time...to the parliament at its earliest opportunity."
He said that the powers should be brought before the parliament so the public can debate the need for data retention."I don't want to see data retention debated in this chamber, and the chamber below, after an event has occurred on Australian soil."
The news comes as last week the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced sweeping new emergency surveillance legislation that would force telecommunications companies in the country to retain customer data for up to 12 months.Go Labour!
SOURCE - ZDNET - here.
