Australia is supposed to be a democratic and a free country..
no, not for much longer.
We are heading into a dystopian gestapo police state, keeping lockstep with the other famously "free" countries of the world.
We have read recently of two "new" plans in the official media, that are priming us to accept this as inevitable.
Pre programming so called free and innocent citizens into accepting data retention and drone surveillance, which, in a so called free society is abhorrent...
We are all now guilty until proven innocent..where will this lead?
Critics of the Federal Government's plan to store the internet and phone data of every Australian say it amounts to constant surveillance.
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon yesterday announced the controversial plan, which would see internet and phone companies storing the data of every user for up to two years.
The idea is currently being considered by a parliamentary committee, and Ms Roxon insists there would be strict privacy measures in place to make sure the information is only used by crime-fighting agencies when it is needed.
But the plan has drawn the ire of many, including Greens Senator Scott Ludlum, who says the move to mandatory data collection is an invasion of privacy.
"These proposals are a sweeping expansion of surveillance powers," he said.
Liberal MP Steve Ciobo has taken an even tougher stance.
"I think that this proposal is akin to tactics that we would have seen utilised by the Gestapo," he said.
"The proposal is absolutely outrageous (and) I can't understand why the Attorney-General hasn't at least waited for the committee to do its work," he said.
He says it would effectively mean the roll-out of real-time surveillance of everyone in Australia.
But Ms Roxon says there will be safeguards in place to make sure the information is not abused.
"It has always been a balancing act between providing proper protections for the community who expect to be safe (and) expect our law enforcement agencies to be able to do track down and prosecute those involved in criminal activity or those intent on causing harm," Ms Roxon said.
The Australian Federal Police are backing the proposal.(end snip)....of course they are :)
and really WHO are these criminals?????
Who and why are they going to spy on us ordinary Aussies???
What do they fear about the people? do they want us to "self regulate"?
but don't worry..if there is nothing to hide..they will also be able to see what you are up to when you are out and about and not online or on the phone..
Australia's fledgling UAV industry may be about to get a big wake-up call from China.
It's dawn as 24-year-old Justin Gong and his team stride down to the launch point at Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
Before them lies the stunning vista of Sydney Harbour: city skyline, Harbour Bridge, Opera House, all bathed in a golden light.
Within two minutes, they've unpacked and launched their drones to record this perfect sunrise.
To passing joggers the team appears to be just a bunch of weekend model aircraft enthusiasts.
Police and park rangers drive by, not bothering to stop.
But looks are deceptive.
Justin is at the controls of his third generation X650 V8 - a quadrocopter the size of a wheelie bin lid. The UAV steadies, then rockets upwards. Live video streams back to his control monitor. The sales pitch is impressive:
"This one can go up to two kilometres above the land and also two kilometres away from your home position and this is around $3,000 for the full unit... and it can go up to about 70 kilometres per hour," Justin said.
Drone accessories include night-vision capability, GPS navigation, auto-pilot and automatic return home.
Justin says he comes from a
military family.
He's the son of a retired Chinese Air Force fighter pilot.
He moved to Sydney five years ago to work as a freelance news cameraman and film maker.
(Ed: Spying perhaps???? since the Chinese are buying up all our residential real estate and farming land..)
Apparently Chinese TV viewers have also been enjoying a drones-eye view of some big Australian news stories.
Justin shoots Australian news reports for China's Phoenix TV network.
Justin Gong says XAircraft is developing three versions of its technology: recreational, commercial and military.
But he says the Chinese military is also keen to learn from the young cost-conscious entrepreneurs, and that XAircraft is now working with the People's Liberation Army.
"We have the beginning of cooperation with them and we provide our carrier, and they put their own technology, the equipment on it," he said.
"Because it is nimble, it is very small, it can go in a door or out a window or under the trees, which a normal helicopter can't do."
According to Justin, it's the perfect platform for stealthy surveillance.
Unlike the US, Australia has long embraced the potential of civilian UAVs, introducing the world's first national drone legislation in 2002.
But the breathtaking speed of technological advances has swiftly rendered those regulations obsolete.
"Things have changed and we now need to bring the rules up to date," Mr Gibson said. "We are trying to guess ahead."
Xaircraft's Justin Gong and his high-performance craft don't appear to be governed by any rules. Justin says he self-regulates. (end snip)
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| Love the Red string bracelet..where have we seen this before? | | | | | | | | | |
So, he "self regulates"? really..do we believe this?
No.
So what has become of Australia?and the so called free world that we are devolving into police state, surveillance and spying on ordinary citizens.
High Def cameras, and PAYLOAD of something onboard...very doable.
A13
FURTHER READING : http://cryptogon.com/?p=624
http://cryptogon.com/?p=31139
