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Big brother is watching
Migration Alliance members can rest assured everything that you write on this site is being taken into account by DIBP. However, it would be interesting to see if anything is being done about all this feedback.
DIBP hires private sector contractors who can monitor more than ‘half-a-billion pieces’ of social media each day on sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Flickr and blogs, reports The Canberra Times. It however remains unclear what DIBP does with the information as a veil of secrecy surrounds DIBPs dealings in these matters. Nevertheless, it certainly would be useful if their monitors could take into account all this feedback and let us know what is being done about the concerns that are being raised.
According to The Canberra Times, “Several commercially available social media-tracking platforms, some of them in routine use by public service online media teams, can easily track the web activities of protest groups and their individual members".
The newspaper reported that a pro-asylum seeker campaigner, Vanessa Powell said she was intimidated and threatened when DIBP tweeted her about an ‘offensive remark’ it said should be removed from her Facebook thread immediately or the government would ‘consider our options further’.
‘I felt quite intimidated and threatened as well because I didn’t know what action they were referring to when they said “we will consider our options further’…I was shocked that they were actively monitoring my account because it’s just my personal page…They have no right to be spying on members of the public, Mr Powell told the Canberra Times.
In response to the newspapers queries, DIBP has not denied that it monitors individual postings on various websites pointing out that the information is published for public viewing. Minister Scott Morrison did not respond to queries as to why DIBP was undertaking such monitoring.
Comments
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Friday, 11 April 2014Who is big brother exactly?
Let's ponder this for a second.
It just so happens that the Australian public in concert with RMAs have eyes and ears to the ground. They also have a sheer volume of numbers and a thirst for truth, justice and equity. This outmatches and outlasts the resources any government can dedicate to playing 'big brother'. What I describe here is the online social and digital era's equivalent of a sub-machine gun being suddenly twisted back the other way, it's sights being levelled back in the direction of the shooter. A complete power inversion ....on steroids. Digital revolution. The public servant becomes the servant once more. -
Friday, 11 April 2014It's interesting that whilst all government departments have been doing this for a very long time, (the checking up on what people say about them, that is...) the person in the article has actually been openly directed (according to the editorial) to 'remove' the offending remark fro social media or 'further options' will be considered - what further options could be possible be considered and by whom? under what jurisdiction and legislative framework? commonwealth sedition laws me thinks... it seems that whilst everyone is quite able to exercise the right to bigotry, we cannot possbily exercise our right of free speech related to issues which concern us as individuals and as an industry. mmmm.....
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Friday, 11 April 2014I am glad that DIBP "likes to watch".
I for one prefer action. -
Saturday, 19 April 2014
Christopher thanks for the great belly laugh! I am with you
Being watched can be fun too.
Immigration blog
Then this website would have to be the most watched. Hooray! They can run but they cannot hide. We are in the information age when freedom of speech and trial by public opinion is the people's court.