Privacy breach not acceptable
PARTS of the Australian government are using your data far more than Facebook could even dream of.
Last week we learnt the Bureau of Statistics (ABS) followed thousands of people’s mobile phones for a few weeks back in 2016.
People were tracked as they travelled around the ACT to give an insight into how people moved during the day. Telstra took the details and sold it to the ABS and all of this is totally legal.
A few weeks ago there was a huge debate about privacy when people took Facebook data without people’s permission and sold it to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Facebook officials were called before politicians to explain the situation and have promised to change the practice.
The change isn’t selling people’s data, just giving us more control over what they know and, at times, telling you the information is being used by someone else.
The data used by Telstra and the ABS is far worse than anything Facebook did because they turned people’s phones into tracking devices without anyone’s permission. How can this be? Who approved of this and did a minister know about it?
I have no problem with using technology to get better information about how we use our cities, but we have to be asked first.
Thousands of people would gladly sign up to be tracked if they got free calls or extra data. But we should all be very concerned when the phone company doesn’t ask and the government is willing to pay to follow us.
POLICING, NOT PILL TESTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH DRUGS
Over the weekend there was a music festival in Canberra and no doubt people took drugs while they were there.
The drugs are clearly illegal and the event promoter openly told people on their website not to do anything illegal while at the event.
But in an Australian first, people will be able to test the drugs they plan to take to make sure they are not poisoned.
Advocates say it’s all about harm minimisation, but it’s hard to not see how this isn’t tacit approval to break the law. Ironically, if I wanted to light up a cigar at the event, it’s banned. You can’t consume a legal product yet you can test the illegal one before you take it.
The endless argument in favour of “pill testing” is to make sure people don’t die because of the drugs they plan to take, regardless of the law. But think about this, if someone tests the pill, but they have a bad reaction, who are they going to go after for compensation?
The logic of letting people break the law safely doesn’t exist anywhere else.
We don’t have roads where you can ignore the speed limit, why should we send any message that illegal drugs are fine.
WE’RE COMING TO BEEF WEEK AND YOU’RE INVITED
I’m very pleased to announce we are bringing my show on Sky News Paul Murray LIVE to Rockhampton for this year’s Beef Week.
We’ll be on stage at 9pm on Wednesday May 9 and I’m bringing my mates Ross Cameron and Rowan Dean with me.
If you’d like to join us send me an email with ROCKHAMPTON in the subject to audience@skynews.com.au