blog I’m sure you’ve been wondering (as many people have) just how Australia’s premiere electronic surveillance agency Australian Signals Directorate was able to gain access to the telephone data of high-ranking Indonesian officials in that country’s government. Well, wonder no more. According to The Guardian, the agency has a massive level of access to Indonesia’s telco networks. The publication reports (we recommend you click here for the full article):
“… a 2012 document reveals that America and Australia share access to Indonesian telecommunications. The NSA has given Australia access to bulk data collected from Indosat, one of Indonesia’s largest telecommunications networks. This includes data on Indonesian government officials in a number of departments.
… The ASD has also obtained 1.8m encrypted master keys from the Telkomsel mobile telephone network in Indonesia and has decrypted almost all of them according to a document from last year.”
The gradual picture that we’re seeing emerge from the Snowden revelations with relation to Australia is quite clear: Australia and the US have a very strong relationship when it comes to surveillance, and the US is actively assisting Australian intelligence forces in a kind of older sibling-style relationship. And there’s a lot of turn-about, with Australia helping the US out whenever it can.
To a certain extent all of this is understandable. However, you really have to question, in the case being discussed by The Guardian today, to what extent it’s necessary. Is Indonesia really that much of a security threat that Australia’s intelligence agencies need massive access to that country’s telecommunications networks? It seems like we’ve mainly enjoyed a very peaceful relationship with our northern neighbours. I’d question whether these resources are being utilised in a productive manner.
Image credit: Elliott Brown, Creative Commons
The Guardian reports that info gathered by ASD was used for trade related purposes. Indonesia is not seen as a threat; it’s all about the money.
Not just money. Money and power, or rather control.
Hey we are at war with Indonesia they aid and abet criminals to enter Australia, why else do you think we have war ships regularly entering Indonesian waters without permission.*
The above post may or may contain peanuts and sarcasm.
Your post still contains less nuts than the Coalition government…
Ok, I actually laughed at both of those.
Well done sirs
Well there have been no Australians killed in Indonesia by deliberate attacks.
There is no risk to Australians from any form of extremism or minority groups and they have a government that is first world standards in law and enforcement so there is no chance of any risk developing.
I feel like we’re being distracted. Who cares if the Australians are watching the Indonesians? The Americans are watching us.
I think this analysis of why we spy on Indonesia is spot on and better written than I could: http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/02/17/tony-abbotts-highly-revealing-lie-about-why-we-spy/
I’m always annoyed how corrupt our governments are.
We put into law, rules against industrial espionage and insider trading within our countries because we know that it does damage to our economy.
And then our governments and politicians commit the same injustices but on the country level because it can and there is nothing specific in law to stop them.
Its wrong to conduct insider trading within our own country but not if its another country? And its fine to use government resources to gain this information?
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