Australians’ right to protest is eroded daily. Behind the scenes, digital surveillance is assisting this erosion, and AI has the potential to accelerate the damage. This is made possible by Australia’s weak privacy laws.
In 2024, the government committed to passing about 100 privacy reforms. Thus far, only a handful have been enacted. Passing these reforms would mitigate—and in some cases prevent—the harms outlined in this report.
This submission focuses on three instances in which AI-powered surveillance has impacted protest rights in Australia.