#HeyASIO: data retention and the threat to activism

As someone who cares about the environment and social justice you could be excused for feeling a little bit paranoid at the moment. 2015 has seen the Federal government attack the tax-deductibility status of environmental groups, complain about 'lawfare', and try to frame environmental activism as 'violent extremism'. You might just be feeling like the current Federal government wants to silence any opposition on the environmental front.Now new Federal data retention laws have come into effect, mandating telcos and ISPs to collect and store metadata on all customers for two years. With this vast surveillance regime coming into place, we ask: what risk does it pose for activism, and what will be it’s effects on social movements and democratic life more broadly.Guests: Scott Ludlam (Greens Senator for W.A.); Tom Sulston (ThoughtWorks)Action:Scott Ludlam’s Top Five Tips On Dodging Data Retention Laws (New Matilda)Surveillance Self-defence (EFF)Further reading:What Metadata Retention looks like: Prepare to be shocked (ABC)Data retention will hurt YOU, not criminals. Here’s how (Crikey) Image credit: Digitised by State Library of Victoria.