This shows you how convoluted the laws are in terms of privacy. So the ABF is getting into trouble because they went into people's phone without a warrant. That's a good thing. They should get into trouble. The government has no right to invade your private spaces without legal authorisation. Your phone is just as private as your house.
However, on the exact same day, another article came out (and I will post that link separately below) outlining that Telstra, and all major AU telcos, now scans all SMS messages. The excuse is to reduce scam messages, which to me is a pretty flaccid excuse.
But what is the difference between physical going into my phone or reading all my SMS messages? Nothing. Should I now be careful about what content I add to my SMSs? The technology on scanning SMSs for scam content could just as easily be used for any other content. My SMSs are just as personal as my phone. It is illegal for the businesses/government to listen in on your calls, why are SMSs now fair game? And as usual, these exemptions to the privacy laws and the chipping away of our human rights, start out as benign intrusions advertised as beneficial, until the governments realise the power of the information that can be gained.
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