Media Releases

Sweeping metadata laws must be scaled back

Posted on July 19, 2019 | in Media releases

Amidst reports last week of the extraordinarily high rate at which the Australian Federal Police accessed the communications history of journalists, the Human Right Law Centre, Digital Rights Watch and Access Now have called on the Morrison Government to urgently reform metadata laws.

Lizzie O'Shea declared "Hero" for mobilizing the Australian public against the government's anti-encryption legislation

Posted on June 10, 2019 | in Media releases , News

Today, Access Now announces its selection of Lizzie O’Shea, an Australian human rights lawyer, broadcaster, and writer, as a recipient of this year’s Human Rights Heroes Award. O’Shea is recognized for leading work to highlight, analyze, and protest expansive surveillance laws in Australia.

Statement on AFP raid of journalist's home

Posted on June 4, 2019 | in Media releases

“It’s incredibly worrying to see AFP officers carry out a raid on the home of a political journalist working to reveal an important public interest issue – a potential massive expansion of domestic capacity in Australian spy agencies.

Digital Skills investment undermined by major parties' digital rights legislation

Posted on May 10, 2019 | in Media releases

Political announcements around funding for digital skills and innovation will be wasted unless encryption legislation passed last year is repealed, according to human rights experts.

Human rights online highlighted as a key policy area for the 2019 Federal Election

Posted on May 1, 2019 | in Media releases

Digital rights experts are urging Australians to consider how political parties are protecting their rights online when they head to the ballot box.

Statement on arrest of Julian Assange in London

Posted on April 12, 2019 | in Media releases

“We do not support arbitrary deprivation of liberty without proper due legal process. Mr Assange continued to seek political asylum in the Ecaudorian embassy in London, as is his right to do so, and the decision to revoke these protections is a worrying development,” said Digital Rights Watch Chair Tim Singleton Norton.