Australian Senator: PRISM “a mega problem for our democracy'' - Police made over 50,000 requests for personal data
As the PRISM furore spreads across the world, Australian Senator Nick Xenophon said: ''These problems on metadata could turn into a mega problem for our democracy.''
Senator Xonophon: PRISM “a mega problem for our democracy''
It has emerged that Federal police are obtaining Australians' phone and internet records without warrants nearly 1000 times a week.
The Senate has also disclosed that Australian Federal Police have made efforts to access Facebook and Google data.
AFP deputy commissioner Michael Phelan told a Senate hearing that Federal police had made 43,362 requests for ''metadata'' on Australians' phone and internet records last financial year. It has been revealed that during 2010-11 police made 50,841 requests.
Phelan confirmed that “a number of requests” had been made to seek information on Australians' use of internet and social media sites such as Google and Facebook from the US under its PRISM programme.