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.

For all the emails and phone calls intercepted by the NSA etc it has been claimed NOT 1 terrorist plot has been stopped.

Also the potential for industrial espionage is beyond comprehension insofar as the have actually intercepted computers for certain clients before they received them and installed bugs.

Only a fool would trust anything computer or software related coming from America.

"only a fool would trust anything computer or software related coming from America"

And we are not fools?
We gaily accepted our leaders exhortations to fight in the "war against terrorism" even though it was a figment of their imagination and a beat up to draw us into their malignant war making to spread their influence over the world.
We have rolled over and accepted the draconian laws to supposedly keep us safe from terror since then.
There has been no terror act in Australia for many years and the cost of all this anti terror is obscene.
The amount spent on protecting woman against domestic violence is a joke even though hundreds of woman have been killed by men and no one knows how many have been injured or traumatized.
Will the saving of metadata do anything to secure them?

In order to understand what they are really up to with the metadata retention you need to have a look at the top secret info that Edward Snowden exposed. Saying that most likely starts up accusations that he is a traitor and anyone who points to that information is one also by association. I keep looking for evidence that he did great damage to western security but it seems more like empty assertions only. He seems to have been very careful in what he did.

This document:

http://www.look-up.org.uk/2013/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/full-spectrum-cyber-effects-final.pdf

gives an indication of what they have been up to and the metadata
retention obviously gives lots more info on who should be targeted for the 'real world effects' that they now spend 5% of their budget on. 'Destroy, Deny, Degrade, Disrupt, Deceive, Protect' it says.

I am not theorizing, as I have been often on the receiving end of all but Protect. They list Denial of Service - phones, emails, computers, faxes. I've had it all but faxes. For example - many emails going missing, had to give up on having a land-line there was so much interference, including physically cutting the line. I have four computers bought new that wont even turn on, etc etc etc. When you get this and much more daily you realize it is not just bad luck or incompetence it is - Covert Social Control -.

Wait until the Drones are policing the skys in every suburb.

What superb watchdogs they will be.

You blokes are only worried about all your sexting secrets
whereas I, female that I am, have absolutely no sexting or texting
secrets. There's a reason nude bloke magazines don't sell.

They can monitor my online stuff until the cows come home they
will find nothing of note.

However, the drone watchdogs will be an inevitable result of the
technology. Just security cameras in the sky really. (or not).

Big Brother will really be watching us then. Just think of all
the hanky panky and sexual sneaking around that will be seen
by the drones. The surveillance by governments of the people
is just getting started I feel.

Of COURSE the securocrats need increased resources and increased power to surveil and bully the public. Otherwise what would have been the point of governments importing an Islamic Fifth Column to maintain a threat from among those who hate secular democracy?

It’s all very disturbing.

Beware of Disqus which an online magazine uses for posting comments on articles. I had written a disparaging comment about Netanyahu and Disqus will not reset my login even though prompt states an email will be sent and they have no help/contact. Utterly useless. I see a Zionist/Chinese connection when I looked at the founders of Disqus. Think Communist/extreme Fascism planning our NEW WORLD ORDER. Think Rothschild banker and the Cabal.

All my technology is being hacked by them. Seriously, my mobile now vibrates after I saw a flash on it sent electricity like sensation up my arms. I know have a permanent problem with my thumb.

I have been doing extensive research on the NWO, therefore I am now having these problems with my computer and mobile. This is deadly serious. I have previously posted a lot of websites etc on what’s happening in our troubled world.

By the way, most of the Middle Eastern leaders are (false) Jews including the Saudi royals. Libya was previously a prosperous country, so they have intentionally destroyed it, killing Gadaffi. They want world domination and chaos and destruction of the West. Graham unfortunately thought I went too far on the Julian Assange article. So much for free speech which are losing more and more. They are Masters of Deception.
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=17180&page=0#303696

Judaic bible, The Talmud: See it for yourself and check everything - shocking:
http://www.come-and-hear.com/
http://www.come-and-hear.com/p_index-2.html
http://www.come-and-hear.com/p_navigate.html

They consider we Gentiles as cattle. Google Amalek and Matrix Seminar - Aish.
http://www.aish.com/jl/jnj/jm/48882637.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_olam

Balaam:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02214b.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaam#Prophecies

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." -- Louis Brandeis, Supreme Court justice from 1916--1939

"There is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.” – John F. Kennedy

[Deleted. Off topic.]

I am fade of up listening to government new policies violating the privacy right of an individual. To catch terrorist, Australian government introduced metadata retention law that violates 23 million Australians privacy. What a shame? Only 0.0006% chances that government may encounter a terrorist, but 100% chances that government employees will enjoy our very private conversation. So, be careful if sending a private pic of yours to your girlfriend or boyfriend, they might see it L.
Do you think that metadata is just little basic information that has nothing to do with your activities, if so, than you are wrong? Metadata is the key to create an exact duplicate profile of yours. Your like or dislikes, political views, taste in food or dressing, even how more private stuff. Privacy is our own responsibility. So, counteract by using VPN: http://www.purevpn.com/order/ and encrypting all your information, hiding it from the government.

Reverting to this thread because of a new post. But harking back, I find Constance's post on March 27 quite disquieting. I am a captive of Disqus because long long ago I wanted to comment on a US list called Truthout (to which I no longer subscribe). I filled in a form for Disqus which included a field for inserting a "nickname". Caught on the hop I quickly invented one, the name of the least-worst of Rome's sorry succession of dictators. When I joined OLO it was through Disqus and I couldn't change to my real name (Dion Giles) as I was told that to do so I'd have to adopt a new email address, which would have meant completely rewriting my address book and notifying everyone on it of my new email address. Forget that for a lark.

But Constance's account of Disqus playing funny fellers with her(?) computer is potentially far more serious. It seems possible that the content of some of Constance's posts may have triggered retaliatory action on behalf of the Yank Neocons. There may (hopefully) be an alternative explanation in view of the subsequent seeming electric shocks. Somehow the mains electric power may have flowed through to the computer because of a fault in the transformer, causing both the disturbance with the logging in and the tingling sensation. Somebody good at that sort of thing could probably nail that down with a multimeter.