Pirate Party senate candidates have called on the Australian government to reveal the extent of US spying on Australian citizens.
They referred to a leak reported by the Guardian on Wednesday on the extent of the US National Security Agency’s worldwide surveillance operations.
The leaks, provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, indicate that NSA analysts have been permitted near-unrestricted access to vast databases of ’emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals’. This includes data relating to citizens worldwide, including Australia.
‘I’m appalled by this latest revelation,’ said Queensland lead Senate candidate Melanie Thomas. ‘Not only is the NSA conducting a clandestine, warrantless surveillance program under the guise of the PATRIOT Act, but we now know that an NSA operator can uncover the most private communications by simply completing an electronic form.
‘This is an outrageous abuse of civil liberties and totally negates the premise of “innocent until proven guilty”. In fact, it reverses this legally recognised concept and criminalises everybody. Everyone is a suspect in the eyes of the NSA.’
Brendan Molloy, lead NSW Senate candidate for the Pirate Party, said, ‘We renew our calls for answers from the Australian government. At this point it is completely impossible for them to be unaware of what is being done here in our name, and we want answers.
‘Nobody voted for complicity in global, dragnet internet surveillance, and it must stop immediately.’
Learn more on this from The Guardian.
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