To the average consumer the path of technology and the way
the authorities utilise this technology can be viewed as progress, but as
always there is another aspect to the matter, in reality actions that use the
technology may have more sinister consequences
behind it.
In recent news that had a lot of chatter on social media,
was enormous the fail with regards to the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
online census login, where the servers (allegedly) crashed.
From a governance point of view, this is a huge failure of
governance.
The ABS website did not have adequate security compromising
every single person's details, despite the fact that the ABS stated that its
site was secure.
This was a deliberate lie by the government/business called ABS.
It was also revealed that the ABS sold (your?) data for $41
million last year.
Therefore as a result you cannot trust the government with
any of your census data.
Many reports emanating from the corporate media with regards
to your duty/compulsion to fill in the census form, and the lawfulness to do so
are false / incomplete / deliberately misleading.
So now the government is making apps, forcing urging
its people to fill in form online (cheaper/quicker/easier to administer).
But there is one HUGE problem with this.
Your data is NOT secure nor is it private.
Some people still are in a 'we will not comply' attitude, by not having a 'smart phone'.
So, the boffins in 'government' never fail to disappoint and
have a solution for that.
Under the guise of 'progress' your old 'brick' / flip / dumb
phone will be switched off.
Well not literally it but rather the technology
(frequencies) it depends on will be.
Therefore you will have no other choice than to purchase a
'smart phone'.
The 'old' phones rely on frequencies known as (2G) GSM
(850/900/1800/1900Mhz).
Although the newer technologies 3G, 4G, LTE may use some of the
2G frequencies, they are not backward compatible, and require new hardware - 'smart' phones.
Telstra will be switching off their 2G network in December
2016, Optus in April 2017, and no official word from Vodafone for the moment.
In many interactions with the government, e.g. social
security, you are 'encouraged' to use an app or their website and not come into
an office or interact with a man/woman behind the counter.
Pretty soon the British penal colony commonly referred to as
Australia will be administered by unseen or unknown entities in some 'cloud'.
It would almost be 'heavenly', to be administered by some
sort of digital gods.
Keeping in mind that the corporation conglomerate known as
the 'government' is fully aware that 'your' data is neither safe, secure nor
private via this carriageway called the internet.
How can you trust a 'government' that failed to keep your
data secure and one that sells it for profit, year upon year?
