Electronic Frontiers Australia, the premier digital rights body promoting and protecting digital rights since 1994, condemns the actions today of the Australian Federal Police in executing a raid of journalist Annika Smethurst in apparent retaliation for her story exposing plans for unprecedented levels of government spying on Australians.

This is an obvious attempt to bully and intimidate journalists reporting on the latest attempted power grab by the already over-powerful Department of Home Affairs.

This kind of authoritarian posturing has no place in Australian society. It should be condemned by everyone who values a free society.

A transparent and public discussion about human rights, privacy, and security in the online era is badly overdue.

If the government is serious about respecting Australians’ right to privacy and security then it should be prepared to discuss its plans on their merits and in the open.

[ENDS]

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