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.
We’re back for another edition of our monthly Digital Rights Watch update! We’ve been keeping busy building out our campaigns and movement―did you notice even our website got a little makeover?
Thank you to everyone who has written to their local Council urging them to sign on to be a Digital Rights City!
Another year, another Ministerial meeting of the Five Eyes —one of the most powerful known espionage alliances in history. Every year, Ministers from the five member countries (Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom) gather to tackle the big challenges they think they face. In their own words, the annual Ministerial meeting has “matured to become the pre-eminent forum for collaboration among the five countries on domestic security issues.”
The Data Availability and Transparency Bill When it comes to things too long to read, the 104 page exposure draft of the Data Availability and Transparency (DAT) Bill and accompanying documents might not be super high on your list of things to do this weekend—that’s why we’re here. The DAT bill is the next step in facilitating opening and sharing public sector data to “unlock the full potential of public sector data in Australia.” Because none of us can really opt out from public sector data processing and collection, the way government agencies treat our data and understand the notion of what we are—or aren’t—able to consent to is absolutely critical. Conflating data sets from agencies with wildly different mandates compounds the threat to individuals (if there is ever a breach) and muddles our understanding of what data is held where. The necessity and proportionality of the measures proposed in the draft seem out of whack to us to say the least. No, thank you.
There’s no doubt in our minds that we want digital platforms to change–to treat our privacy as a priority, to ensure our data is protected and not used against our interests, to give us transparency and be accountable for invisible algorithms that we are subject to.
Along with many civil society organisations, Digital Rights Watch are concerned about the freedom of Australian press. The diversity and sustainability of an open and free press are essential pillars of our democracy, and we observe with great concern increasing powers of law enforcement which threaten that integrity.