Facebook’s ‘face recognition’ technology under fire
Facebook users will have received a post from ‘The Facebook Team’ recently announcing its facial recognition capabilities, touting the technology’s ability to bring you ‘more features’. The social media juggernaut is also seeking US patents for other technologies which allow...
Cannabis Patients Denied Access: An Interview With MCUA President Deb Lynch
The Australian medicinal cannabis quagmire is heavily impacting patients. The whole debate around the medicine has been about how to get a criminalised plant, which is now widely recognised for its beneficial qualities, into the hands of those that need...
Sydney Psychologist Suggests Homicidal Teen Should Commit Murder
A psychologist practising on Sydney’s North Shore has come before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) after a referral from the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). Dr Elise Lowick, a specialist in emerging psychosis, was facing suspension or deregistration...
Bail Assessment Officer Program Fails to Make an Impact
NSW continues to be the greatest incarcerator out of all Australian jurisdictions. Figures released recently by the Australian Bureau of Statics reveal that 13,228 inmates were incarcerated in our state in September last year, while Queensland came in at second place...
What Is Considered ‘Offensive’ Under NSW Criminal Law?
Offensive conduct is a frequently prosecuted crime in NSW. Section 4 of the Summary Offences Act 1988 provides that “a person must not conduct himself or herself in an offensive manner in or near, or within view or hearing from,...
Turnbull’s New ‘Secrecy Laws’: Another Step Towards Totalitarianism
Following concerns by a consortium of media outlets that Malcolm Turnbull’s new secrecy laws will place journalists at “significant risk of gaol time” for simply doing their jobs, the United Nations has weighed in by saying the laws impose “draconian...
Teen Activist Is Facing a Decade Behind Bars
The trial of 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi began on February 13 behind the closed doors of an Israeli military court. The young activist, who’s become an international symbol of the Palestinian struggle, is facing up to ten years behind bars. On December...
Facial Recognition Glasses: Next on the NSW Police Wish List?
In recent years, police in New South Wales have been the beneficiaries of hundreds of laws which increase state control at the expense of legal safeguards and protections - from laws which broaden police powers of arrest, to those which...
Mentally Ill Man Dies After Being Tasered by NSW Police
New South Wales police have launched an internal investigation into an incident last week whereby a mentally ill man died after officers tasered, peppered sprayed and held him on the ground. Police say the 30-year old was found at around...
Australian Businesses Must Inform Customers of Data Breaches
New laws came into effect on Friday making it mandatory for Australian businesses with a turnover of more than $3 million per year to inform customers of any “data breach” that puts them at risk of “serious harm”. Under the...
