Manal Al-Sharif: Australia’s new surveillance laws remind me of home

“I left Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most oppressive regimes. But the Australian Government’s recent draconian rules remind me so much of home.”

Cyber security expert and human rights luminary Manal Al-Sharif reports on the dangers of the new surveillance laws.

When I was a child, I was told that the Saudi government was protecting us from ever-present threats.

I was told that the government has ears everywhere through a network of citizen informants.

Anyone around us could be an informant.

The imam, the school teacher, the work colleague, even my own family and friends – anyone.

The threats were…