With the online community in Australia is cautiously celebrating the “near death” – (presuming all political parties vote as they have indicated previously) – of the ridiculous proposal for mandatory internet filtering in Australia, it seems we need to ready ourselves for the next fight.
Data retention.
Throughout the filtering debate, those in power – (which is an interesting concept right now, given Australia’s currently hung parliament) – have been at pains to suggest that the internet is not a special case, and should be treated no differently to other forms of media, such as newspapers, television, and radio.
| AFP Pressuring Government on Data Retention |
The quote of most concern to me is as follows:
“”It is important that we have the ability to retain the data,” Gaughan told reporters in Sydney today. “We can obtain intercepts … on pretty much everything. We don’t want to see what people are watching on TV, we want to see what people are looking at on the internet.””
So once again, the internet appears to have been elevated to the status of “special case” – but which is it really? Will the real internet please stand up and make itself known? Haven’t we been told for months that it is not special?
Roll up your sleeves people – the next fight begins right now!