Bloggers vulnerable in Australia’s metadata retention bill.
George Brandis says Bloggers won’t be covered by Metadata Amendments MAR 18 by conspiracyoz Lanai Scarr www.couriermail.com.au BLOGGERS are unlikely to be covered by provisions protecting journalists in the government’s controversial metadata retention bill…… Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday agreed to amend the laws to ensure journalists be better protected under the bill amid fears investigative journalism would be stifled.
A further amendment will be moved requiring law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant to access journalists’ metadata to identify a source.
But Senator Brandis said bloggers would not be covered by the provisions. “I wouldn’t regard bloggers as journalists,” Senator Brandis told ABC radio……Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said there should be provisions in the amendment that would ensure a journalist would know when a warrant was being issued.
He said Australia should follow the lead of the US on the laws.
“(Whistleblowers) won’t come forward if they don’t know they will be protected.
“It will have a chilling effect on investigative journalism.”
Under the government’s new data retention laws which it hopes to pass in the next sitting fortnight, Australian phone and internet providers will be required to store various customer metadata for up to two years for law-enforcement agencies’ access.
No warrant will be required to access the data, just an agencies’ senior officer’s sign off……..http://conspiracyoz.com/2015/03/18/george-brandis-says-bloggers-wont-be-covered-by-metadata-amendments/
No comments yet.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
Leave a comment