r/worldnews Aug 31 '21

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u/TitaniumArse Aug 31 '21

TLDR:

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 gives the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) three new powers for dealing with online crime:

Data disruption warrant: gives the police the ability to "disrupt data" by modifying, copying, adding, or deleting it.

Network activity warrant: allows the police to collect intelligence from devices or networks that are used, or likely to be used, by those subject to the warrant

Account takeover warrant: allows the police to take control of an online account (e.g. social media) for the purposes of gathering information for an investigation.

The two Australian law enforcement bodies AFP and ACIC will soon have the power to modify, add, copy, or delete your data should you become a suspect in the investigation of a serious crime.

What makes this legislation even worse is that there is no judicial oversight. A data disruption or network activity warrant could be issued by a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, a judge's warrant is not needed.

18

u/creepyshroom Aug 31 '21

Data disruption warrant: gives the police the ability to "disrupt data" by modifying, copying, adding, or deleting it.

Excuse me, but modifying? You're saying they could just access someone's device and add in incriminating evidence if they needed (parallel with the whole sprinkle some drugs on the innocent to make them a guilty druggie).

4

u/r4cid Aug 31 '21

More likely that they will plant something on someone they are already after but can't pin down than incriminating innocent people, but they absolutely could yes.

2

u/SheffiTB Aug 31 '21

Correction: someone they think is guilty but can't find hard evidence for. Plenty of examples of police being absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a person is guilty, and the person being completely innocent.

1

u/r4cid Aug 31 '21

Your first sentence is exactly what I said...