Cross Agency Sharing Approved for Australian Wiretaps
Australia’s Senate has passed amendments to that country’s wiretap laws, allowing security agency ASIO to pass information across a wide range of government agencies, and apparently to conduct wiretaps on behalf of those agencies.
According to Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, the Australian Security Intellgence Organisation (ASIO) is already more scrutiny-free than similar agencies in the US or the UK. The new Act makes it possible for ASIO to conduct wiretaps on behalf of other agencies, by request. According to Ludlam, this represents an expansion of ASIO’s remit far beyond its stated purpose.
The senator also noted that the bill vastly expands the range of people with which ASIO could share information. For example, if ASIO turned up information relating to tax fraud, this can be passed to the Australian Tax Office. (more…)