Telecommunications Interception Act

The festive season has given me a chance to catch up on Serial (http://serialpodcast.org/), the hit podcast produced by This American Life. Some of us may be concerned about privacy and the “Big Brother” syndrome, particularly given the recent amendments to the Telecommunications Interception Act legislation. However, (and I should warn of a spoiler-alert for those listening to the series) one point raised in the Serial podcast made it clear that had basic email account usage records been retained, there was potential that the subject of the case, Adnan Syded, may have been able to prove his whereabouts and subsequently cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution case. Alternatively, the records may have substantiated the prosecution case. Either way, the records would have greatly assisted in resolving some of the conflicting evidence given in the case.

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