The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she felt rattled when called by a detective seeking information on a bus trip she'd taken in New Farm three weeks earlier. Her unease grew when the officer also revealed the name of her partner. “He was saying, 'You were travelling on a certain bus on a certain day at a certain time',” she said. “And I said, 'That could be my partner [using my Go Card]. And he said, 'Would that be ...', and then gave his name. And I thought, 'Oh shit'." The woman said she had little recollection of the trip and genuinely couldn't help the officer.

Police and TransLink have both confirmed the practice but remain tight-lipped about the frequency and circumstances of such requests. A TransLink spokesman said police sought Go Card records “less than a handful of times a week” under an exemption to the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Chapter 29). “Requests must be made in writing and the information provided can be used in court,” a TransLink spokesman said in a statement. I don't think people realise with not only cell phone and technology that tracks things like Go Cards, but also CCTV, how little privacy is respected in modern society “This is the same procedure that police and other law enforcement agencies follow to gain credit card or banking information, driver's licence data or any other detail which may help confirm a person's identity or movements.”

The records often relate to missing persons or stolen cards and a warrant is needed if the record is to be used in court. But the practice of tracking people's movements without their consent has raised the ire of civil libertarians. The pre-paid Go Cards have been in use on Brisbane trains, buses and ferries since February 2008 and allow faster access to the transit system, with commuters touching the cards on a pad as they enter and exit the service. While it is not necessary to register the cards, many commuters choose to in case the card is lost or stolen. Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said he was not surprised to find police were accessing Go Card records as part of investigations.

“We warned when the Go Cards were introduced that the electronic records could be used for various forms of surveillance and we were pooh-poohed and told that we were being unnecessarily concerned,” he said. “This shows that our concerns are justified. “In the light of this I'd urge people who are concerned about their privacy to take the de-identification route so that agents of the state can't willy-nilly access information on their travel patterns.” Mr O'Gorman said he had a Go Card but was unsure if it was registered to his name. “My wife got it, but I'll soon be de-identifying it now,” he said.

Investigators have long used bank and phone records to track people's movements and Bond University criminology expert Professor Paul Wilson said police were quick to exploit new avenues of investigation. “I think they are very quick to use new technology as a detection tool,” he said. “That can be seen by them being able to trace mobile phone signals easily to where people are at particular times and that's been used for years. “This is just another variation of the use of digital technology like Go Cards. I suppose it does raise the big question of how far society is prepared to go to allow authorities to follow them in the interest of solving crime or public security. “I suppose the answer to that is, they are allowed to go very far.” The Queensland Police Service said it adheres to strict legal requirements when accessing information from organisations like TransLink.

“Strict regulations, including legislative requirements, memorandums of understanding and operating guidelines are in place, both within the QPS and within external agencies, to monitor and regulate these processes,” they said in a statement. But Professor Wilson said current regulations could give individuals limited protection and as technology evolved, privacy would deteriorate further. “I think the trend is disturbing,” he said. “I don't think people realise with not only cell phone and technology that tracks things like Go Cards, but also CCTV, how little privacy is respected in modern society and I think that's a great pity.” Mr O'Gorman said Go Cards made life easier for users, but many didn't realise at what cost. “I don't think people knowingly trade privacy for convenience,” he said.

Loading “The increased convenience of mobile phones, the increased convenience of Go Cards, the increased convenience of iPad use - people focus almost exclusively on the convenience and don't give a moment's thought to how the electronic track provides a ready bank of electronic information that the police can readily access.” - with Courtney Trenwith