[Linux-aus] Seeking feedback - EFA Citizens Not Suspects campaign

[David Lyon]

On 14.06.2013 04:11, Russell Coker wrote:

> This isn't relevant to the issue of data collection.  But I think 
> that white
> collar crime isn't such a problem for society.  Do you know anyone 
> who's
> unable to work because of the trauma of white-collar crime?  I've met 
> two
> people on disability pensions from being the victims of armed 
> robbery.

When it's white-collar crime, the effects are often much more 
"transparent".

One undeniable example: Nigerian scams. There's a very large number of 
Australians
defrauded by Nigerian scams of large amounts of money every year. 
Sometimes the
figures can be in the range of $200,000 - $400,000. The results are 
that some
people can lose all their savings and end up going on welfware. I'm not
blaming the State for that. It's just an example of a popular form of
White-Collar crime that is prevalent in our society today.

> Metadata collection isn't going to change bad police work or bad
> courts.  But initially narrowing the list of suspects to people who 
> were in the
> area should be an improvement.

I'm not saying the courts or police are any more 'bad' than society at 
large.

But we now enter a world where everywhere we drive or go is monitored. 
If we move
from one side of town to the other, the Authorities track us.

In Australia, all efforts go into "slowing the public down". Do you 
ever see
any action in Sydney about using "Speed Camera's" to increase vehicle 
speed
so that people can drive at speeds approaching the speed limit and 
achieve the
speeds allowed? No you won't.

All technology pushed from our leaders is punitive derived in nature 
and
maintaining a sense of the convict state. Spend time in Silicon Valley 
or Japan
and the mood about technology is entirely different.