[Deleted for abuse.]

Hi ConservativeHippie

Don't worry about the odd cretin crawling on this thread.

With a name like Albie :-)

If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.

Hi Plantagenet,
even that subversive rag, The Women's Weekly has a story on NSA surveillance. The story mentioned Facebook's Messenger application which allows the software to access the phone's camera and microphone even when the owner isn't using the device. "smartphone(s) can be used to record your daily conversations and most intimate moments"(yuck), and also said that people should be wary of free apps as they can also provide the app owners with personal information such as recording voice calls and SMS messages, plus contacts lists.

Smartphones are basically mobile surveillance gadgets. The metadata they provide can show where you have been, who you have called and who is on your contacts list. A former NSA boss, Gen Michael Hayden stated that "we kill people based on metadata" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQiz0Vavmc Maybe he was joking - I hope so!

Smartphones are so seductive, but they are pretty scary when you find out how much info governments and companies can find out about you without you even knowing! It sure gives me the creeps, and more than a bit of that Big Brother feeling from Orwell's 1984.

Even knowing what has been openly admitted by NSA etc, it is still hard to believe the massive scale of snooping on all of us. Maybe that is why we have let this happen without even so much of a murmur. We kind of knew/guessed but didn't really know about it until it was too late. Can you remember what a fuss Australian's made about the Australia card? That was nothing

rehctub,

"If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear."

Oh yes....those weasel words have been well hackneyed.

Here you go...

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/george-brandis-has-silently-swept-away-your-freedoms-20140929-10nev6.html

"Late Thursday night the Senate passed the National Security Amendment Bill (No.1) 2014 giving unlimited power to spies and secret police...."

"LAWS PASSED IN HASTE BY PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T READ THEM

Many Senators clearly hadn't read the 128 pages of major legal changes in the NSA Bill.

Hansard reveals PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus supported the Bill at the second reading, the day before the vote, without referring to any of its sections.

"I love Australia," the former football star chirped. "I love our freedom. I along with all Australians feel that our great country must be protected."

He was not alone. Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells used her second-reading speech to blather about how great multiculturalism is. She gave the statistics for how many Muslims live in Australia. Then she said it was not about religion anyway.

Labor was missing in action having already agreed to support the Bill."

Etc....

Hi Dane,

yes I love living in our multicultural society. I have friends who are Muslim, and I used to live near a Mosque, and I am saddened by the lack of tolerance and acceptance of ordinary law abiding Muslims that is becoming common place these days.

If a Muslim or any other person commits a crime they should face the full force of the law. Sometimes I think we are acting like terrorists have special powers or something the way we are giving away our rights and liberties left right and centre! If someone does the crime they should do the time and I have no problem with throwing away the key if they commit acts of terror and mass murder. But I am cynical about the ramping up of fear and distrust in our community by the MSM and the government, when we should be using calm heads to sort out any problems.

However I do have issues about living in an authoritarian quasi democracy which says it has the right to spy on me in order to keep me "safe".

Yes we can all be safe if we live in a bubble, or a gilded cage, but who wants that? Life is unpredictable and dangerous at times - that is what makes it worth living. Give me liberty! Being watched is the opposite of being free.

Regarding the Israeli military - I should have written Israeli military personnel - of course the Israeli military are coming down on these 43 brave whistleblowers who reported on the mass surveillance of ordinary Palestinians, like a tonne of bricks.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.615674

Ordinary people who speak the truth should not be afraid of their government, but this is exactly what is happening.