As part of voicing of my concern, I sent the below letter to my local MP to show that I am against the proposed laws that are now in Parliament. It is looking like the bill will pass with little to no opposition unless we all get up off our backsides and make it known to all the politicians that we do not want this law passed.
Dear Ms Bishop,
I am strongly opposed to the Governments proposed Data Retention laws, both as the owner of a ISP/CSP and also as an individual.
The proposed laws,
Lack in technical merit. meaning that they will be simple to circumvent. Making the whole process a very expensive failure. Not that this has ever stopped a government before.
Infringe on basic rights, and your rights to privacy and freedoms that we are all taught about in school. So much for Australia the lucky country. Even China is appearing to be more liberal now.
Are not wanted by the public. So the government should be listening and dropping the whole process. The government is elected to represent the people of Australia, not to control them and spy on them.
Will add significant costs to operating a small ISP/CSP, such that we may no longer be able to compete with larger companies at all.
Has been found to be invalid in the EU due to privacy. Not to mention that I do not trust ASIO or The Federal Police to "Do the Right Thing" when it comes to using peoples private data. The reason for the courts is to make sure that they only get access when it is warranted, and not just because they think it will be interesting to see what they are doing on the off chance that they might find one bad guy.
What ever happened to freedom in Australia? If this bill passes, what will the government try next? Maybe pass a law that requires all citizens wear gps ankle bracelets like convicts, so that the security agencies can see where you were two years ago.
Please do not allow this bill to continue, you are making Australia the laughing stock of the world, and ultimately will have a tremendously negative effect on the Australian Technology Sector for both private citizens and businesses alike.
Sincerely
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