Are You Being Watched? Aussie Privacy in the Digital Age
Hi fellow Aussies! Ever feel like someone's lookin' over your shoulder online? Turns out, it might not just be your nosy neighbour. In today's digital world, our personal privacy faces more risks than ever before. Let's have a yarn about what's at stake and what you can do to protect yourselves.
Mass Surveillance: It's Not Just for the Yanks
You might think that surveillance programs like PRISM, Tempora, and XKeyscore are just problems for people in other countries, but think again.
PRISM allows agencies like the NSA to collect internet communications from big companies like Google and Apple.
Tempora, used by the UK's GCHQ, intercepts a huge amount of internet data from fibre-optic cables.
XKeyscore is a system the NSA uses to search and analyse global internet data in real-time. Edward Snowden said XKeyscore enables analysts to "read anyone's email in the world".
The "Five Eyes" alliance, which includes Australia, means that these countries share intelligence. According to University of Otago information science Associate Professor Hank Wolfe, the Five Eyes countries (US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) use each other to circumvent domestic spying laws, so that they have their partners do the spying for them, and then share the info. That's why it's important to know your rights and take action!
Staying on top of your digital privacy is more important than ever, and a recent report from the U.S. highlights why Australians need to be particularly vigilant!
U.S. spy agencies are creating a "one-stop shop" to centralize and streamline the purchase of highly sensitive personal data from commercial sources. This data, known as Commercially Available Information (CAI), can include everything from your location data derived from mobile ads to real estate records, biometric data, and even social media content]. The worrying part? This allows them to bypass traditional legal avenues like court orders that would normally be required for such information.
While this is happening in the U.S., the global nature of data brokering means your information, even if you're in Australia, could be part of this vast market. The U.S. intelligence community acknowledges that CAI poses a major threat to public privacy. They're even looking to use AI tools like large language models and "sentiment analysis" for further analysis, despite concerns about accuracy and potential for discrimination.
Your digital footprint is valuable, and it's crucial to be proactive in protecting it!
Social Media: Oversharing is Caring (for Data Miners)
It's not just governments (like the USA, Trump/Musk?) you need to worry about. Social media platforms are data-collection machines. They track your posts, likes, shares, and even your location to build a detailed profile of you. This info is then used for targeted advertising, but it could also be accessed by third parties.
What Can You Do? Become a Privacy Warrior!
Right, so how do we fight back? Here are some tips to boost your personal security and minimise your data exposure:
Use strong encryption:
Choose messaging apps with end-to-end encryption, like Signal or WhatsApp.
Use encrypted email services such as ProtonMail or Tutanota.
Employ a Virtual Private Network (VPN): A good VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address, making it harder to track you.
Privacy-focused browsers and search engines:
Use browsers like Brave or Firefox with privacy settings tweaked to block trackers.
Opt for search engines like DuckDuckGo or Startpage that don't track your data.
Limit data sharing:
Review and adjust your privacy settings on social media.
Be careful about sharing personal information online.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security to your accounts.
Keep your software updated: Regular updates protect you from security vulnerabilities.
Use strong, unique passwords, and consider using a password manager.
Be careful on public Wi-Fi: Avoid sensitive transactions on public networks.
Anonymising Tools: Consider using the Tor browser to anonymize your internet traffic.
Get Involved!
Protecting your privacy isn't just an individual effort. Contact your local MP and let them know you care about digital privacy. Support organisations that fight for stronger privacy laws .
Don't be a galah – take control of your online privacy today!
My favourites.
The more Aussies that we can get using the same encrypted email, messaging, etc, services then besides providing better security and privacy for each individual, it will also allow us to have a greater network of of Aussies that we can each communicate with and in a secure and private manner.
As a minimum, I encourage people to at least use encrypted email, messaging, voice calls, and video calls.
ENCRYPTED EMAIL
Protonmail https://proton.me/mail
ENCRYPTED MESSAGING, VOICE CALLS, VIDEO CALLS
SimpleX (IOS, Android, and Windows)
CLOUD STORAGE
Proton Drive https://proton.me/drive
VPN
Proton VPN https://protonvpn.com/
BROWSER
Brave https://brave.com/download
That don't manipulate your feed etc.
Similiar to Twitter/ X: Bluesky https://bsky.social/about
Similiar to Instagram: Pixelfed https://pixelfed.au/
SEARCH ENGINE
Startpage (Uses Google search results but removes tracking) : https://www.startpage.com/
OFFICE SUITE
ONLYOFFICE (Latvia) – Compatible with MS Office, privacy-friendly. https://www.onlyoffice.com/
NAVIGATION AND MAPS
Organic Maps (Open-source, EU-based developers) – Offline maps with privacy focus. https://organicmaps.app/
OsmAnd (Netherlands) – Uses OpenStreetMap data, privacy-friendly. https://osmand.net/
DNS
NextDNS: https://nextdns.io/
Hope this helps!
I can be reached at:
Click here: Signal OR
