MASS SURVEILLANCE AND DATA RETENTION IN AUSTRALIA: BALANCING RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

摘要

In August 2017, the Attorney-General's Department released the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 - Annual Report for the year ending 30 June 2016 (the Report). This was the first opportunity to see how mandatory data retention laws passed in 2015 have been implemented. It also prompts us, as lawyers, to reflect upon the broader national and international context and to question again whether these intrusions by the state are justifiable. The Report provides insight into how criminal law enforcement agencies have accessed telecommunications data (known as metadata) stored for the purposes of complying with the mandatory data retention regime.