Peter Dutton confirms Australia could spy on its own citizens under cybersecurity plan:
Peter Dutton has confirmed the government's $1.6bn cyberstrategy will include capability for the Australian Signals Directorate to help law enforcement agencies identify and disrupt serious criminal activity – including in Australia.
By rendering support to the Australian federal police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the cybersecurity and intelligence agency would for the first time be able to target Australians, although Dutton maintains ASD won't be able to do so directly.
Dutton said law enforcement agencies would target terrorists, paedophiles and drug traffickers operating in the dark web – promising proposed new powers will apply "to those people and those people only".
Details of the new powers – which will require legislation – are not contained in the strategy, which says only that the government will "ensure law enforcement agencies have appropriate legislative powers and technical capabilities to deter, disrupt and defeat the criminal exploitation of anonymising technology and the dark web".
[...] Dutton said the new capabilities would be exercised only in relation to people "alleged to be committing very serious offences".
"If you're a paedophile you should be worried about these powers, if you're a terrorist ... if you're committing serious offence in relation to trafficking of drugs, of ice, for example, that's being pedalled to children, you should be worried about these powers as well.
"The reality is people are trying their best to groom kids online and ... people are trading gun parts on the dark web and it cannot be a lawless space. This law applies to those people and those people only."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:01PM (2 children)
But of course...
Then they came for me. And there was no one left to speak out for me
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:13PM
They'll never get the thing under my house. It's too big.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by driverless on Sunday August 09 2020, @08:28AM
Terrorists: He protested against excessive government surveillance.
Paedophiles: The girl standing next to him in the photo looks a bit young. What? Niece, schmiece.
Drug traffickers: He shared a joint with someone while he was a student.
Yup, not open to abuse at all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:04PM (1 child)
"If you are a political dissenter, pedalling (sic) your ideas to our livestock of people, you should be worried about these powers as well."
And learn to spell.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:23PM
Pedalling pediatricians peddle pedophilia.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:04PM (3 children)
Really? Wouldn't it faster to deliver drugs to children by car?
(Score: 1) by petecox on Saturday August 08 2020, @07:37PM (1 child)
Melbourne is in Stage 4 lockdown where you can't travel more than 5km from home.
Cycling is a valid reason to be outside for "exercise".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 09 2020, @06:23AM
A wanker with a trciked up thumpy as heck car keeps coming by, staying for 5 to 10 mins, then leaving. While there are here it is annoying as heck. So much so the neighborhood sticks their head out the window to see what is going on. Drug delivery. During covid. Idiots.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 09 2020, @09:07PM
ice is really a dangerous drug that's being trafficked to children all the time. it's mostly composed of the deadly chemical dihydrogen monoxide, and is frequently adulterated with cheap sweeteners and artificial colorants just to appeal to children!
I'm glad Australia is clamping down on it.
(Score: 4, Informative) by PinkyGigglebrain on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:08PM
Oh! I remember now! The USA's "PATRIOT Act" said something along those line too.
full article here [juancole.com]
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:21PM (2 children)
What is there to discuss? I mean, until these people are voted out, what is going to change?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:33PM (1 child)
We could discuss which country c0lo should seek asylum in.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @07:27PM
c0lo should go home to his old Soviet, and swear allegiance to Mother Russia. That's the only proper place for people born of an unholy union between Russian bears and Russian boars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:32PM (7 children)
terrorists = anyone trying to get rid of the seditious scum who run/ruin the country
paedophiles = paedophiles that don't have money
drug traffickers = drug traffickers who don't have the money to lobby government to get their drugs off the Black Ops Revenue List. aka small business owners.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:35PM (6 children)
Also, only the dumbest of fucks or pimps would sell meth to children. I suspect that hardly ever happens in real life. This is not the eighties, you dumb parasitic fucks. Only geezers believe that stupid shit and they are dying off. soon you will be left with a constituency that knows how full of shit you are.
(Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:38PM
or paedophiles.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @05:40PM (3 children)
It never made sense in the first place. 99% of kids don't have enough money to buy even a small hit of most hard drugs, let alone fuel a habit.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday August 08 2020, @06:09PM
Yeah, but they don't care about 99% of kids anyway.
The kids of the 1% though must be protected from such terrible, terrible people - if they want drugs they should be raiding their parents' stash.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 08 2020, @06:16PM (1 child)
THEY CAN FIND... ANOTHER WAY TO PAY
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday August 09 2020, @08:38AM
Meth-addicted kids selling their bodies to paedophiles to fund terrorism?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 09 2020, @09:10PM
what makes you think he's talking about meth?
he's obviously talking about designer 2H-O ice, and it's already being marketed to children in things like push-pops and popsicles.
the kids can get legal meth easily enough from their doctors. it's called ritalin.
(Score: 2) by anotherblackhat on Sunday August 09 2020, @05:55AM (2 children)
So, what, they only spy on people they already know are guilty?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 09 2020, @06:33AM
They must be guilty if the government is spying on them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 10 2020, @03:25PM
No, no, the summary makes it very clear that one has to be alleged to have committed those offenses. Guilt not required. Can't you see that if someone is alleged to have done it that the suspicion should be all that one needs?