Civil rights and privacy advocates yesterday expressed concern about a NSW Parliament proposal that would allow the state’s police to remotely access a suspect’s computer for up to 28 days without disclosing the hack for some time
Australia will lift a 13-year ban on using foreign aid funds to support family planning and safe abortions in poor nations. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith announced his decision to scrap the ban at a meeting of Labor MPs and Senators this morning, after months of internal party consultation about a policy shift. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told the meeting he did not personally support the change and had had longstanding conservative views on abortion — but said there had been a clear majority view in the Labor caucus for change
The UK government wants to cut out users rights to access Internet content, applications and services. Some of the information used to justify the change has been cut and pasted from the Wikipedia. Amendments to the Telecoms Package circulated in Brussels by the UK government, seek to cross out users’ rights to access and distribute Internet content and services. And they want to replace it with a principle
that users can be told not only the conditions for access, but also the conditions for the use of applications and services. The UK government texts have been heavily criticised by the French campaigning group La Quadrature du Net. It is believed that they could have been drawn up by the UK regulator, Ofcom
Australian governments may soon have the world’s most secure data communication system if trials of a locally-developed quantum cryptography technology are successful. The system is built on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), considered the world’s most secure medium, which uses special lasers capable of detecting the slightest attempt to eavesdrop. It could remove the need for governments to use couriers to deliver one-time keys for sensitive information
New South Wales Police are being given sweeping new powers to search people’s homes and hack into their computers for up to three years without their knowledge. The State Government admits police have already used the measures, even though the Supreme Court ruled the practices unlawful in 2006. The Government says new legislation, to be introduced into Parliament today, will ensure police evidence collected using the practices will hold up in court. Police Minister Tony Kelly says the reforms will allow police to collect enough evidence for a prosecution without tipping off criminals
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) launched its Surveillance Self-Defence project today — an online how-to guide for protecting your private data against government spying
Clause 152 of the Coroners and Justice Bill, currently being debated by the UK Parliament, would allow any Minister by order to take from anywhere any information gathered for one purpose, and use it for any other purpose. Personal information arbitrarily used without consent or even knowledge: the very opposite of Data Protection
. An Information Sharing Order
, as defined in Clause 152, would permit personal information to be trafficked and abused, not only all across government and the public sector — it would also reach into the private sector. And it would even allow transfer of information across international borders. NO2ID has launched a Facebook group to challenge this threat to data protection — via Slashdot
The Government’s plan to introduce mandatory internet censorship has effectively been scuttled, following an independent senator’s decision to join the Greens and Opposition in blocking any legislation required to get the scheme started. The Opposition’s communications spokesman Nick Minchin has this week obtained independent legal advice saying that if the Government is to pursue a mandatory filtering regime legislation of some sort will almost certainly be required
. Senator Nick Xenophon previously indicated he may support a filter that blocks online gambling websites but in a phone interview today he withdrew all support, saying the more evidence that’s come out, the more questions there are on this
The Met Police got a short sharp rap over the knuckles yesterday, as the Office of the Information Commissioner questioned what looks very much like a blanket policy to force CCTV onto public houses in certain parts of London
Some 120 protesters descended upon the parliament in the capital, Wellington, and handed over an e-petition against the amendments with over 12,000 signatories, and a traditional one with 148 names, to the United Future party leader Peter Dunne. Section 92A which will force ISPs to disconnect customers who have allegedly infringed copyright. The demonstrators were waving black placards reading ISPs are not a court
and Fair go, not Fear go
Federal regulators tweaked recommendations for how web sites should collect, save and share information about users, extending them to internet service providers and mobile users. The US Federal Trade Commission issued new guidance for the self-regulated industry that urges web sites to tell consumers that data is being collected during their searches and to allow them to opt out. This guidance recommends that mobile companies and internet service providers also inform customers about data collection and allow users to decline
The Victorian Government’s refusal to provide data for Google’s bushfire map mashup limited its scope and highlighted glaring problems with Crown copyright provisions, the search giant’s top Australian engineer said yesterday
The first phase of the federal government’s ISP filtering trial has been confirmed with an initial rollout to six participating ISPs
2009 will force New Zealand’s ISPs to come to grips with an amended Copyright Act, which includes a provision forcing them to disconnect customers who have allegedly infringed copyright
Despite numerous warnings from industry experts, the Rudd Labor Government continues to push ahead with its plan to censor Australia’s internet
Underlying the Rudd Government’s plan to screen the internet is an offensive message: that parents cannot be trusted to mind their children online. Adult supervision should be front and centre of the effort to improve online safety, a responsibility accepted by most parents, grandparents, teachers and carers. But the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, seems to think differently: filtering content at internet service provider level is central to the Government’s plan to make the internet a safer place for children
. There is no technological substitute for adult supervision and it’s irresponsible and misleading to infer otherwise. Mandating a so-called clean feed
has the potential to create a dangerous false sense of security, leading parents to believe ongoing supervision and vigilance is no longer needed
A vicious worm-infection has crashed the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s computer systems but an official says the medicine is working and they are back running. But deputy director general Alan Hesketh said their staff were still not allowed to use the internet
Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday before a massive crowd reveling in a moment of historical significance, and called on Americans to confront together an economic crisis that he said was caused by our collective failure to make hard choices
A British councillor has come under fire after being caught using an alias to praise his own work on the local newspaper’s website. The Daily Echo in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, decided to name and shame Ben Grower after he posted comments under several names. He admitted using false names but said it was a legitimate way to put his views across
Schools have installed CCTV cameras and microphones in classrooms to watch and listen to pupils as young as four. The Big Brother-style surveillance is being marketed as a way to identify pupils disrupting lessons when teachers’ backs are turned. But data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner has warned the surveillance may be illegal and demanded to know why primary and secondary schools are using this kind of sophisticated equipment to watch children
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