smh: Rampant phone tapping puts US in the shade
The Australian opposition has issued a report detailing the number of
wiretap warrants issued in the last year; per capita, Australian law
enforcement is using 20 times as many wiretaps than the US. Last year's
figures are available here. These figures don't include ASIO wiretaps, nor do they
include a potential increase due to proposed new anti-terrorism
surveillance powers.
[update: The figures seem to come from this press release, issued yesterday by the Attorney General's department]
Figures released by the Federal Opposition, and taken from annual reports of the United States and Australian governments, show that in the financial year ending in June 2001, more than 2150 warrants were issued for phone taps in Australia, but only 1490 in the US. Taking into account the population difference - 284 million compared to just over 19 million - Australia's rate of phone interception was 20 times that of the US. The data also reveals that the number of phone taps used in Australia has increased threefold in four years, and ninefold in just over a decade. [...] The Australian figures include interceptions by the National Crime Authority, the Australian Federal Police and state policing agencies, but exclude ASIO. The US figure includes federal and state law enforcement agencies and some FBI taps. [...] Figures also show that in 2000-2001 Australian agencies made 1033 arrests and obtained 623 convictions, while US authorities made 3683 arrests with 732 convictions. Labor has blamed the proliferation in phone tapping on a decision which took effect in 1999, giving members of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal the power to issue warrants. Previously, they had to be approved by a judge, which is still the case in the US. (see www.smh.com.au)