The Australian government passed a broad surveillance bill this month that is far more intrusive than any other member of the Five Eyes.

The Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 provides the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) with three new powers to combat online crime:

1. Data disruption warrant: gives the police the ability to “disrupt data” by modifying, copying, adding, or deleting it.
2. Network activity warrant: allows the police to collect intelligence from devices or networks that are used, or likely to be used, by those subject to the warrant.
3. Account takeover warrant: allows the police to take control of an online account (e.g. social media) for the purposes of gathering information for an investigation.

If you become a suspect in a serious crime investigation, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission will soon have the power to modify, add, copy, or delete your data.

The fact that there is no judicial oversight makes this legislation even worse. A member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal can issue a data disruption or network activity warrant without the need for a judge’s approval.

https://www.techvisibility.com/2021/09/01/government-surveillance-bill-passed-by-australian-parliament/