Sam is a dedicated digital rights activist, privacy advocate and writer who regularly contributes to public debate on technology, power and human rights. She is currently undertaking a PhD at Monash University, researching the impact of emerging technologies on housing justice in Australia.
As the digital ecosystem grows all around us, consuming cities, workplaces, and our places of leisure and even governance, the protection of privacy has been an active frontier between human rights advocates and the reckless adoption of systems and technologies.
As the year crawls forward, we’re busy working across a number of different fronts to advance digital rights in Australia. This month we’re looking back at government inquiries, new legislation, and announcing the Melbourne Surveillance Track!
Imagine if we walked around the real world with a small screen floating above our heads. That screen would update with a different set of information depending on who looked at you. It would always be above you displaying at least your name, the date of your birth, and the neighborhood where you live. Imagine being in a crowd at a protest, or a concert. Anyone’s, everyone’s details would be there. And of course, if the police looked that screen would fill with all sorts of additional information about you and the people you associate with.
As our world becomes more digitally dependent, how can we take an active role in shaping the kind of ‘smart city’ we want to live in?
Can you believe it’s April already? As 2021 zooms along, so too does the digital rights space. Here’s our take on the past month…
Last week the Twittersphere and news outlets lit up, reporting that the NSW Police Commissioner suggested a mobile application should be created to verify consent between two adults before engaging in sex.