[H-GEN] Inquiry into potential reforms of National Security Legislation

[Russell Stuart]

Below is a link to a Greens web page on the Inquiry into potential
reforms of National Security Legislation.  This quote from the page is
illustrates why I think it could be of interest to Humbug members:

        How would you feel if your internet service provider (ISP) and
        phone company was forced to keep a record of every article you
        read online, every email you sent or received, all location data
        collected by your phone, every call you made, everything you
        bought online?
        
        How would you feel if it was made an offense to refuse to hand
        over your computer passwords?

The letter the Greens propose on that page isn't a particularly helpful
reply to the inquiry, but nonetheless I know what my gut reaction is to
making it an offense to hand over passwords.  Passwords are commonly
used to protect encrypted data, encrypted data by is definition
indistinguishable from random data, random data is data the government
can make no sense of.  So in principle a law abiding citizen can end up
in a situation like this:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Beatty_Chadwick

The greens web page on the "Inquiry into potential reforms of National
Security Legislation":

  http://greensmps.org.au/content/national-security-legislation-inquiry-submission