Paul Syvret comments on the state of police surveillance in Australia:
Never before have our everyday activities been so monitored and so subject to scrutiny.
Take, just for starters, the debate swirling over the police practice of “street checks”.
These are when innocent citizens are stopped and interrogated by police and their details recorded. They are identified and questioned about what they are doing and where they are going, all under the auspices of proactive and high-profile community policing.
I have no problem with a strong and visible police presence on the streets, but that hoary old argument of “if you have nothing to hide; if you’ve done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear” that is often used to justify such intrusions on personal privacy, just doesn’t wash.
If you have nothing to hide and haven’t broken any laws there should be no grounds for police to question you and record your personal details.
Read more of his commentary on surveillance in The Courier-Mail.