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, …
March 2021 Roundup
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… Techno solutionism strikes again You may …
February 2021 Roundup
What a wild few weeks in the digital rights space! Have you been reading the news? As the government, news media, and tech companies fight it out, we’ve been working …
January 2021 Roundup
Happy New Year from the Digital Rights Watch team. We are thrilled to kick off 2021 with the launch of our State of Digital Rights Report: A 2020 Retrospective—and you’re …
November 2020 Roundup
A note from the Digital Rights Watch Chair- Greetings from the end of one hell of a year! We hope that you and your loved ones are safe during these …
October 2020 Roundup
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 …
September 2020 Roundup
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 …
Police drones and coronavirus surveillance
People should be able to use public spaces without being subjected to oppressive surveillance wherever they go. Yet, according to various media reports, police in Victoria are beginning to roll …
A farewell from the founding Chair
Four years ago, a group of academics, technology experts and activists came together in the meeting rooms of Thoughtworks Australia with a shared vision: to unite in their advocacy against …
The Government Covid-19 Contact Tracing Smartphone App
last updated on May 10th prior to legislation being tabled previously updated on April 26th after the Government launched the app, and April 29th after comments from Stephen Conroy To …
An introduction from DRW’s new Chairperson
by Lizzie O’Shea It’s an honour to take over as chair of Digital Rights Watch from Tim Singleton Norton. Tim has set an excellent example. A hard working, deep thinking …
Timeline: national security legislation
Australia is on a worrying journey towards an increase in government surveillance, violating basic human rights and invading our everyday privacy. But in order to understand how we got here, …
PJCIS review of mandatory metadata retention
Digital Rights Watch, Access Now and the Human Rights Law Centre provided evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security review of the mandatory metadata retention scheme. Alice …
Ban facial recognition surveillance
You are being tracked. On every street, in every park, as you sit at the train station or walk to work. Surveillance using face recognition technologies is on the rise, …
Australian Human Rights Award Finalist
Digital Rights Watch considers it an honour to be a finalist in this year’s Human Rights Community Organisation Award. This is an important recognition of the need for solid digital …
Open Letter to Law Enforcement in the U.S., UK, and Australia: Weak Encryption Puts Billions of Internet Users at Risk
Today, Digital Rights Watch joined 101 other signatories in releasing an open letter to law enforcement officials in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia expressing grave concerns with the countries’ …
Help Stop the Sale of DOT ORG
It was recently revealed that the nonprofit that owns the .ORG domain registry was planning to sell it to a private equity firm, Ethos Capital. This could impact the millions …
What is happening to Journalism & Julian Assange?
Wed 4 December, 6.30 pm Victorian State Library – Village Roadshow Theatrette on La Trobe St Kristinn Hrafnsson – Editor in Chief of WikiLeaks Suelette Dreyfus – technology researcher, journalist, …
Aaron Schwartz Day CryptoBars
We have an exciting line-up of speakers (see below). We’ll kick off the evening with drinks and pizza, followed by short talks from the speakers, then a relaxed hour in …
WhyID: Protecting Our Identity in the Digital Age
There is a generalised assumption that certain kinds of digital identity programmes empower users, especially those in marginalised populations, by giving them legal identification and access to public services. Digital …