Snooping....and the slippery slide from many freedoms

Two pieces clearly show how on the one hand one country, Australia, is cracking down on personal freedom and curbing the people's right to know, as against a complaint in another country, the USA, where the FBI claims that new encryption software being employed by Apple and Google thwarts access to someone's phone. In the last mentioned situation the Director of the FBI says that those who prevent access being gained to their mobile phone are putting themselves above the law. A breathtaking and astounding assertion!

"FBI Director James Comey has responded to recent moves by tech giants Apple and Google to offer better encryption services on their handheld devices by suggesting that giving people the ability to protect their private communications from state law enforcement agencies is akin to lawlessness.

In recent weeks both companies have rolled out new software enhancements for their respective smartphones that make it harder for police or federal agents to obtain emails, photos, or call information that may be stored on the devices. The encryption is also designed to protect against fraud, theft, and other digital invasions. The move was widely applauded by privacy rights advocates, who in the wake of revelations about NSA surveillance practices on the U.S. population made possible by whistleblower Edward Snowden say that the American people are rightly concerned about the ways in which government agencies and law enforcement are using digital means to spy on their personal lives."

And in Australia:

"Australian spies will soon have the power to monitor the entire Australian internet with just one warrant, and journalists and whistleblowers will face up to 10 years' jail for disclosing classified information."

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