Elon Musk has beaten the Australian Chief Censor in court. Good news. But the other weapon of censorship and control, digital ID, has been passed in the lower house. Bad news. Slyly pushed through the Senate first (highly unusual) it has now been passed ready for Royal Assent.

Only the Hard Left and fools would believe the government’s claims that Digital Identity is not compulsory. You just won't be able to access government and private services.

That's not just a guess:

Subsection (4) of sec. 74 - the digital ID Regulator may grant an exemption - allows a Digital ID to be mandatory in some circumstances, if the Digital ID Regulator is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so.

So, there you go. You won't need one if you are prepared to be shut out of what may essential services to you. And you might have to have one if some High Lord Poobah says you do.

While both sides of politics agree with Digital ID - the Coalition said they would do things differently, but they had the whole idea in 2015 - only the ultra-Left, wannabe totalitarian Albanese government, minus the details as per the Voice could come up with shoving the legislation through with very little debate.

Australia used to be a great place to live.

"The horrendous violations of human rights over the last years have revealed the existence in Australia of an invidious trend to authoritarianism" (Gabriel Moens, 'Australia's global advocacy for the suppression of free speech".

"My freedom of speech stimulates your freedom to tell me
I'm wrong."

P.J. O"Rourke.

Dear Ttbn,

Government claims that a digital ID is not and never will become compulsory, but you think it will.

How would that work for people like myself who are not even eligible for a digital ID?

Yuyutsu

Why are not eligible

Dear Ttbn,

«Why are not eligible»

Because in order to get a Digital ID, one must have one of those disgusting digital gadgets:
I don't have one, never had, I object to them and have sworn to never touch these things.

The Big Brother of Control mentality is very much the domain of the more extreme political ideologies, communism, fascism, etc. However with technology evolving as it is, even moderate politicians see it as useful, "its available lets use it for good" philosophy. In the wrong hands these things become an extreme means of control, rather than simply a useful tool for good.

one must have one of those disgusting digital gadgets:
Yuyutsu,
So, how do you write theses posts then ? Handwritten & posted to GY ?
Digital ID will curb criminal activity but not as long as it is controlled by bureaucrats as it will defeat the purpose then.

Dear Indyvidual,

«So, how do you write theses posts then ? Handwritten & posted to GY ?»

I use my computer, at home, connected to the internet by cables rather than sending electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere through helpless innocent people, babies, animals and birds.

You say that "Digital ID will curb criminal activity", but who is to determine what activities are "criminal"?

Yuyutsu

I'll take a punt. By gadget you mean mobile phone?

You obviously have a computer, laptop or tablet to use on OLO; so you so don't want a mobile phone.

I was very late getting one. I bought a "dumb phone" because all I need is a phone, not a pocket computer. With everything now on the internet - no landline - we are victims to unreliable electricity. Hence, we need a mobile for emergency.

I recently weakened and bought a "smart phone" that is smarter than I am, and a bastard of a thing to use. I have decided to go back to a dumb phone - if I can get some bright young thing to cotton onto want I want and need.

I will not be doing anything with any sort of phone except for using it as a phone. I'm with you.

Dear Ttbn,

I have my home phone, but I had to pay over $8K to connect my phone directly to the NBN and not through any computer/internet hardware. I also invested in a good battery that will keep it going even when there is no electricity.

If you are back to a "dumb phone" than you too cannot obtain a Digital ID, because it requires downloading something that is supposed to outsmart us.

Yuyutsu

There are over 4 million retirees in Australia. Governments seem to be obsessed with minorities, and we are a minority that government might have to take notice of when the sh-t hits the fan; as we are always being told by the carping Left, we are the ones with the money.

Dear Ttbn,

You may be interested to learn that Israel had a "Retiree party", which at a time was included in a coalition government.

Here in Australia that could not happen due to the flawed and undemocratic electoral system which is heavily biased in favour of just two parties and designed to deny representation from ordinary people.

Yuyutsu

Our voting system sucks, yes.

My wife has a dumb phone and refuses to get anything different. I know people who have never had a mobile phone of any kind and never will. The Albanese government might have to use their identity politics to form another group to manage separately.

Of course there are old people just as malleable as the young ones. You see them in shops, ostentatiously waving their devices around at the checkout, hoping everyone thinks that they are as hip as their great-grandchildren. It's no wonder Albanese is getting way with Maoism.

It would be interesting to know how many poor fools are getting scammed just because they do their financial stuff on mobile phones.

To get started you will need to in a digital ID:

be at least 15 years old
have an email address or mobile phone number that only you use
have a smartphone or smart device
download the myGovID app
prepare documents that help prove who you are such as your passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate or Medicare card.
choose which identity strength you want to set up. The online service you want to access determines the minimum identity strength you'll need.

It seems that you don't need a mobile phone. ‘Device’, I presume, is something you use for emails.

Read more information on the above government site. Lord knows what happens to people who don't use technology at all.

https://www.digitalidentity.gov.au/create-or-manage-your-digital-i

Dear Ttbn,

A standard computer (PC) is not a "smart device".

See http://community.ato.gov.au/s/question/a0J9s0000001ISJ/p00047245

The following are authorised ATO announcements:

"myGovID is not built to run on a desktop computer. It is an app specifically designed to use the security features on your smart device and within the app itself."

"MyGovID has been implemented by numerous Government online services including the ATO, Medicare and Centrelink. As @NateH stated, it has been designed for smart devices with particular running specifications. However, if you incur expenses to set up and use myGovID you may be able to claim a tax deduction."

Some expert commentators apparently managed to bypass this trouble by installing an Android emulator on their computer, others did not succeed.

See also http://www.accountantsdaily.com.au/technology/13860-reasonable-expectation-ato-explains-mygovid-change

Yuyutsu

I note that the information is 4 years old, and we don't know who Claire Miller is, or if she knows what she is talking about.

However, if a PC is not accepted, laptops and tablets are ‘mobile devices’. I use a tablet for everything these days, at home, via my own internet provider. I wouldn't use a mobile phone, on a public network or via a phone tower. If other people want to do that, fine.

The person in your second reference points out that the internet is more important than the mobile network.

Who really knows? It will be a dog's breakfast like all other government brainfarts. I think I will play dumb, “accept” that a digital ID is not mandatory, and see what happens. When it starts up, the ether will be bristling with complaints and queries from clunky old desktops, laptops, smartphones, dumbphones, emails, handwritten letters. Given the iffy electricity supply and the regular tech outages, carrier pigeons could be in demand. The political class will be sorry that they came up with this nonsense.

It gets better. The WA Labor government is introducing this into legislation via the Firearms Act.

Subdivision 2 — Matters for consideration General matters for consideration

S 150.

Without limiting the matters to which the Commissioner may have regard for the purpose of forming an opinion as to whether a person is a fit and proper person, the Commissioner may have regard to any of the following —
(a) the person’s conduct and behaviour;
(b) the person’s physical and mental health;
(c) the person’s views, opinions and attitudes;
(d) the person’s way of living or domestic circumstances;
(e) whether the person is of good repute, having regard to the person’s character, honesty and integrity.

Note: (c) "the person's views, opinions and attitudes".

The Though Police writ large...coming soon to a Labor state near you. If anyone has doubts as to where Australia is heading here it is.

Ladies and gentleman, well may we say God Save the Queen (King) because nothing will save the Governor-General."

who is to determine what activities are "criminal"?
Yuyutsu,
That is a worry but hopefully pragmatic conservative thinking people rather than idealistic incompetent Woke will by then be in charge !
I'm counting on AI to sort these differences for the good of all. Just as a Flat Tax would go a long way towards curbing financial fraud.

Dear Indyvidual,

Woke/Conservative really makes no difference - other people (including their pet computers) should not be able to dictate what is criminal and what is not.

As in indication of how easily-led Australians are, 10.5 million of them have have already created accounts with the Digital ID system MyGovID.

I hope it works better than the MyGov app, which I can't use, my financial adviser can't use, and Centrelink doesn't know why we can't use it.

Apparently company directors have had a form of digital ID for some time.

As for the assurance that the thing will be voluntary, Victorian Liberal Senator, Jordan Dittloff, says a truck could be driven through that one.

Dear Ttbn,

«Apparently company directors have had a form of digital ID for some time.»

As a director of my SMSF I have a "director ID" - it is just a number like the tax-file-number and is not related to anything digital.

Meanwhile I attempted that other idea of using an Android emulator on a laptop PC.
After some hickups I managed to download it, it took ages and much of my monthly download quota when I finally arrived at the stage of trying to download the Australian Digital ID - but then it demanded that I login to this "google" thing.

Of course I wouldn't! How is it that possible, and what a shame, that in order for citizens to connect to their government's essential services they have to forge a relationship with some foreign company and provide it with personal information (what more, a corporation that is known to collect, spy and abuse that information)?

OK, so no Digital ID for me... maybe they will take me to jail for that?

Yuyutsu

My advice, for what it's worth - do nothing. You won't be jailed. And it might be OK eventually (tongue firmly in cheek). But it's 'them' who want the thing, not you. It's 'their' responsibility to help you if you need help

When everyone was hysterical about Covid and they were pointing smartphones at something, I wrote a name and number on the sheet provided (not my own name and number of course) in case Big Brother was watching. There's always a way. And, if you can't get out of doing anything, just say you don't know how, demand that 'they' help you do what they want.

I advised Centrelink that I couldn't use MyGov. They ignored me. If I feel that I should advise them of changes to my circumstances as is required, I write (by hand) and I haven't had any complaints.

Remember the Australia Card?

Well, since then, it is clear that we all have digital ID's anyway, It's called a mobile phone number. Then we have any number of other ID's that can be used to identify us, Passport Number, License Number etc etc ...

Anyone who thinks that the authorities cannot determine who they are now is a fool. Government services already require digital ID's. But don't let the facts get in to way of another rabid Left bashing topic.

All the bill will do is tidy up the mess.

I advised Centrelink that I couldn't use MyGov. They ignored me. If I feel that I should advise them of changes to my circumstances as is required, I write (by hand) and I haven't had any complaints.
Posted by ttbn, Sunday, 19 May 2024 6:05:53 PM

Wow, just goes to show how important literacy is, even digital literacy.

goes to show how important literacy is, even digital literacy.
Random,
Yes but still below the importance of a reasonably stable mentality !

Just found a petition against the Digital ID:

To sign that petition - http://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6286

And/or create your own petitions on that parliament site.