Data Retention Act 2015 — Mandatory 2-Year Metadata Hoarding
institutionIntelligence & Surveillance
A 2015 law forced every Australian phone and internet company to keep a two-year record of who you contacted and where you were.
Who they are
The Data Retention Act 2015, an amendment to Australia's telecommunications interception law.
What they do
It requires telephone and internet providers to store a set list of 'who, when, where' data — not the content of your messages or your browsing — for two years.
How it works
It logs things like which IP addresses connected, your location, and call records; it cut warrantless access down to about 21 law-enforcement agencies (from 80-plus that used to authorize themselves); and it created 'Journalist Information Warrants' that let agencies secretly uncover a reporter's source.
Why it matters
The engine reads it as the government forcing private companies to build a massive surveillance archive on its behalf, with a special tool aimed at exposing journalists' sources.
The engine's record — word for word
TIA Act amendment forcing telcos/ISPs to retain a prescribed metadata set (source/destination IPs, location, call logs — NOT content or browsing) for two years; narrowed warrantless access to ~21 criminal-law-enforcement agencies (down from ~80+ self-authorising bodies); introduced 'Journalist Information Warrants' (agencies covertly identify a journalist's source without notifying them). Engine read: mandated a private-sector data-hoarding infrastructure for the state. [verified/corrected] [Australia surveillance-state harvest — Aug 17 2026]
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