Censorship – Page 9 of 14 – Pirate Party Australia

Pirate Party Outraged at Breach of User Trust with Telstra Data Retention

Posted on June 26, 2012

Pirate Party Australia is outraged at Telstra’s underhanded scheme of tracking the websites accessed by their customers.[1] It was recently revealed by the telecommunications company that they track and store web addresses visited by their NextG subscribers on systems in Chicago, out of reach of Australian law.

“This raises a series of very serious issues. They are logging user behaviour without consent and the data is stored in the United States where our Privacy Act does not apply, but where the Patriot Act does apply. I find the claims that the non-consensual use of the data will be used to build an Internet filtering database for their ‘Smart Controls’ product to be troubling,” said Brendan Molloy, Party Secretary.

Open Letter to Government Regarding Failure to Act on behalf of Assange

Posted on June 22, 2012

In an attempt to get a real response for once, this letter has been sent to each person listed below via snail mail. We truly look forward to their response.

To:
The Honourable Julia Gillard, MP, Prime Minister of Australia,
Senator The Honourable Bob Carr, Minister for Foreign Affairs,
The Honourable Nicola Roxon, MP, Attorney-General of Australia,
The Honourable Kevin Rudd, MP, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs,

I am writing to you today on behalf of Pirate Party Australia to express our disgust at this Government’s continued abject failure to act regarding the political safety of one of our citizens, Mr Julian Assange.

We are extremely disappointed that Mr Assange has had to seek asylum with a foreign government, and would like to know why there has been no intervention on his behalf. We understand that the UK police have a warrant for his arrest on the grounds that Mr Assange has broken his bail conditions by seeking refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. We also understand that he is merely wanted for questioning in Sweden, and has offered numerous times to comply with investigations, both while in Stockholm, and via video link from the United Kingdom.

Government should follow EU in rejecting ACTA, says Pirate Party

Posted on June 21, 2012

In a decisive victory for democracy and civil liberties, the Committee on International Trade has recommended that the European Parliament reject the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Pirate Party Australia welcomes this victory against opaque, anachronistic and exclusionary policy.

Although Australia has already signed the agreement, the text is currently under consideration by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. The Pirate Party has said on many occasions[1][2] that the agreement must be rejected, and that Australia still has the opportunity to withdraw from the agreement. Australia’s withdrawal would pave the way for industry-specific approaches and reforms, rather than the blanket ‘solution’ provided by ACTA.

“The rejection of ACTA by four consecutive committees — including the Committee on International Trade — is damning of the text, process and intent of this agreement. It raises larger questions about the process of treaty making in Australia. It is imperative that we move toward greater transparency in such processes. Texts, drafts and negotiations must be made public. Civil society must be included from the very beginning of any initiative,” said Brendan Molloy, Party Secretary.

Pirate Party Perturbed by Assange Extradition Verdict

Posted on May 31, 2012

Pirate Party Australia are perturbed at yesterday’s ruling by the UK Supreme Court to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden. Contrary to the ignorant prejudicial opinions of Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, he has not been charged with any criminal offence in Sweden or any other country, yet has been held for over 500 days under house arrest.

“The Australian Government’s continued and willful ignorance of US intentions to extradite Mr. Assange, an Australian citizen, possibly on the grounds of espionage and conspiracy, is completely unacceptable. The government must be more active in seeking to ensure the safety of Mr. Assange,” said Simon Frew, Deputy President of Pirate Party Australia. “Our continued alliance with the United States should not be at the expense of the rights of Australian citizens.”

“While the case remains somewhat up in the air, it seems very likely he will face extradition to Sweden,” Mr Frew continued. “There are a number of concerning issues with the legal process. The Supreme Court used the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, a document regarding the interpretation and operation of treaties between states, as a basis in their determination. This had not been raised by either side during the proceedings of the appeal. Legal analysis seems to indicate this may give Mr. Assange and his team opportunity to re-open the case.”

Pirate Party Furious at Attorney-General’s “Super Warrant” Proposal

Posted on May 7, 2012

Pirate Party Australia is furious that the Attorney-General’s Department is considering expansive additions to Australia’s already overbearing ‘security theatre’ operations[1].

The Attorney-General’s Department is proposing a “super warrant” system that can grant ASIO sweeping investigative powers for six months. This currently requires much greater judicial oversight.

“It seems to now be a weekly occurrence that the Government adds a new act to its ‘security theatre’. If the Gillard government cares so dearly about citizen input, why were expansive changes to the ASIO Act – changes that would potentially allow ASIO to target Wikileaks – pushed through last May without public inquiry?” questioned Brendan Molloy, Secretary of Pirate Party Australia.