When the Australian parliament passed the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2021 (SLAID) in August, research institutes and news media voiced concerns about an erosion of civil liberties—for just a few days.
The law grants new powers to the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission in an age where technological advances have provided criminals with more devices, digital tools and dark spaces online. Key threats are the production and trading of child exploitation material, the promotion of violent extremist content and activities, and the conduct of organised crime business including the illicit drug trade.
