Use Gmail - be afraid, very afraid

RT.com 13 August 2013:

"Just as a sender of a letter to a business colleague cannot be surprised that the recipient's assistant opens the letter, people who use Web-based email today cannot be surprised if their emails are processed by the recipient's [email provider] in the course of delivery,” the motion reads in part. “Indeed, 'a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties.’" 

Google Motion 061313

The rolling blacklist is dead and our online privacy is once more protected - or is it?

 

The Age 9 November 2012:

 

Conroy has backed down but there's no shortage of people still pushing to invade our privacy and censor the internet.

It's almost five years since communications minister Stephen Conroy embarked on his crash-or-crash-through campaign to introduce mandatory ISP-level internet filtering for all Australians……

From the very beginning of the debate, outspoken filtering opponents such as Electronic Frontiers Australia and Mark Newton data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.

Meanwhile anti-piracy lomade it clear that the real concern about the planned filter was its broad scope and veil of secrecy which left it open to abuse by those with an agenda.

It didn't take long for calls to expand the proposed filter. Family First Senator, Steve Fielding, called for the filter to cover legal hardcore pornography and fetish material, while Senator Nick Xenophon wanted it to encompass online gambling. The Australian Christian Lobby was also pushing to expand the scope of the filter to cover a wide range of sins…….

"Blocking the INTERPOL 'worst of' list meets community expectations and fulfils the government’s commitment to preventing Australian internet users from accessing child abuse material online," Conroy says.

"Given this successful outcome, the Government has no need to proceed with mandatory filtering legislation."

Only a politician could label such a backdown a "successful outcome", considering it's exactly what he should have done five years ago. Senator Conroy has been gradually backtracking on filtering for some time but only now does it seem safe to declare the plan officially dead. But that doesn't mean that free speech and privacy advocates can rest easy. Right now Australia is debating the proposal for blanket data retention to keep records of everyone's internet usage for two years. There's already a push to expand the scope of this plan.
Meanwhile anti-piracy lobbyists are threatening to bomb the internet back into the stone age with draconian plans which keep emerging under the guise of various proposals such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)….

In November 2012 Australian citizens still struggle to get a definitive response from the Federal Attorney-General as to how law enforcement and intelligence agencies will ensure that they are not inappropriately gathering personal information on individuals when they wish to access to the following data without having to automatically apply for a warrant before each request to Internet Service Providers.

Definition of Telecommunications Data

From the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security

 Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation

Dubbo City Council's emailgate - shades of Canberra?

Two former Clarence Valley residents, Peter Bartley (left) and Richard Mutton (right), have been players in Dubbo City Council's emailgate.

Bartley and Mutton are councillors on Dubbo City Council.

Dubbo’s Daily Liberal reported that Dubbo City Council voted to take action against Bartley for a breach of the council’s code of conduct and demand the councillor apologise.

Bartley was found in breach of the council’s Code of Conduct in a matter of confidentiality by a conduct review committee.

The conduct review committee was called in by Mayor Greg Matthews to investigate an email leaked to the Daily Liberal in January.

Cr Matthews was the author of the email about medical consulting rooms in North Street, Dubbo, at the height of the drama at the departure of doctors George Albert and Baghat Gerges from Dubbo.

Dubbo City Council and the conduct review committee asked the Daily Liberal to divulge its source, but it refused to do so.

The result of the conduct review committee went before councillors in a meeting that was originally intended to be a closed meeting, but went to a public hearing.

Cr Mutton moved that Cr Bartley had breached the code of conduct, should be counselled and should apologise to the council.

Cr Mutton said he did not appreciate having to move the motion but had been “extremely upset” when he heard of the leak and wrote to the mayor because he felt it was a code of conduct breach.

The motion also said that the council would not pursue legal advice on the potential breach of a section of the Local Government Act.

Bartley is a partner in a firm of Dubbo solicitors while Mutton is a psychologist. When they resided in the Clarence Valley Bartley had a legal practice in Maclean while Mutton was a school counsellor. Mutton was also an announcer on Grafton's radio station 2GF. In an even earlier life, "Swinging Dick" Mutton was station manager for Radio UNE in Armidale.

pics from Dubbo City Council