As an Australian I always take a burner phone when I travel and just reformat it after getting home.
Comment on Security researcher warns of chilling effect after feds search phone at airport | TechCrunch
Onii-Chan@kbin.social 8 months agoCome to Australia if you want some dystopian surveillance state bullshit. The border force in the country have the legal right to force you to unlock your devices, or throw you in prison until you do. We have no rights in this country when it comes to privacy (just look into the recent legislation that was pushed through parliament during COVID.)
This country is just becoming more and more authoritarian, and I'm not sure how many Americans know just how many protections they have and take for granted. Australia is fucking suffocating to live in today if you value privacy and autonomy. There are almost no barriers at all between the individual and the government, and it's only getting worse. I wish I had moved stateside when I was young enough for it to be a possibility. I'm stuck here now.
SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Onii-Chan@kbin.social 8 months ago
Yeah same. A cheap little thing from Woolies does the trick. I just find it fucking disgusting that we have to go to such lengths to begin with.
Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Man that sounds horrendous. I’d heard it had gotten pretty bad there but hearing it first hand from someone who lives there makes me think how I would feel living there. Does the same apply to laptops? And is it just when entering the country?
Onii-Chan@kbin.social 8 months ago
Australia is sprinting towards authoritarianism, it's such a sad state of affairs. We already had some of the strictest rules and regulations in the developed world before this, and it's only gotten worse. The new laws include ALL digital devices, and 99% of the time only apply when entering the country, however, these same laws also allow warrantless searches as long as the Federal Police have enough suspicion, which could easily just be fabricated in order to force an arrest or device seizure (think political dissenters, protest movement organizers, protest attendees, etc.)
This country has gone to the fucking dogs, and I'm finding it more and more difficult to remain optimistic. I feel watched everywhere I go (we have cameras everywhere along major highways, as well as facial/license plate recognition being trialed in Western Australia), and there's a pervasive feeling that you're unable to do anything without some form of government approval (even on private property.)
If you know an easy way to move to the states, I'm all ears, because this country is trying too hard to emulate China. If I were more conspiratorially-minded, I'd say that we're almost a social experiment for them, given our proximity - and reliance on trade with - them. There are a shiiiiitload of Chinese domestic market vehicles on our roads... and a few parliamentary scandals in years gone past with political links to the CCP.