The debate on the meta data retention issue fails to address a core issue for many of us - we don't trust the spooks not to abuse their power. So, giving them more access to information about us is very worrying.

Journalists are already talking about changing their methods for communicating with whistle-blowers. They will find workarounds and so will terrorists and criminals etc. It is the rest of us that wont.

As an activist on a little known issue in Australia - stopping covert fascism - it seems to me that one obvious misuse of the meta data would be to profile citizens based on that info and have computers continuously monitoring our profiles in order to detect any people changing their behaviour in an undesired direction, such as becoming an activist or lobbyist.

Attention: Citizen X emailed Politician Z and Journalist Y on the issue of Spook Lies. Urgent Action Needed.

Jed_S, a worrying aspect of this move to strengthen the powers of Big Brother is the ease in which the Labor Party caved in, a party that has always claimed to be a champion of civil liberties. Claiming to safeguard journalists, whilst at the same time abandoning the other 23 million Australians.

‘morning Jedi,

I have news just received from the outer reaches of the Empire, peace with you it may bring young activist in your battle with the evil forces of the Federation and their “covert fascism”.

The dreaded Metadata has been vanquished by the truth and no worries need you have young long ears.

Metadata does not include that which you fear.

There is no:

The content of a communication such as a phone call or an email
The subject line of an email
The content of the discussion in a chat room online (what is said)
The content of a mobile phone text message (SMS)
Attachments to emails such as photos or videos
Web camera transmissions
Websites a person visits (i.e. browsing histories)
The name of a website a person visits
The substance of a person's social media posts

So metadata does not “tell all” as you fear.

The Grand Council now declares you free to do something meaningful with your life. We have assigned a mentor to you who will teach you the “ways”, such as reading, writing, comprehension, research, how to Google and to increase your wisdom to that of an adolescent amoeba.

May the force be with you young galactic warrior.

Luke Skywalker

One reason for the meta data could be quick access, to see if it is worth going for the whole content.

If they want the whole email or phone conversation all they have to do is get it of the NSA, GCHQ or one of the other shadowy spying organizations.

Dear Jed,

I'm not sure if you've read the following website
but I thought it may be of interest. It raises
some valid issues (in my opinion at least).

http://theconversation.com/how-will-data-retention-laws-cope-with-the-internet-of-things-36885

Isn't it inevitable that in time of war that freedoms have to be
diluted to some extent ?

The biggest problem I see is the cost of storage. It will not be a
minor problem, especially if they do not allocate a particular group of addresses to the "things".
In any case they should not be connected to the internet.

The 160 people blown up in their mosque in Yemen the other day would
not have minded their metadata being saved if it would have saved their lives.
Can you imagine such an explosion at the SCG or MCG ?
It is on the cards, they are first class copycats.