• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Reopenings Stall as US Records Nearly 50,000 Cases of COVID-19 in Single Day

Australia Is ‘Testing the Limits’ Amid COVID, Testing ‘Orwellian’ New App To Track People: Report

September 2, 2021
Men In US Now Ineligible To Participate In Olympic Games In Women’s Categories

Men In US Now Ineligible To Participate In Olympic Games In Women’s Categories

July 22, 2025
Republican Rep Randy Fine Says People In Gaza Can ‘Starve Away’ Until Hostages Are Released

Republican Rep Randy Fine Says People In Gaza Can ‘Starve Away’ Until Hostages Are Released

July 22, 2025
Attorney Who Secured Jeffrey Epstein’s Sweetheart Plea Deal Dies

Attorney Who Secured Jeffrey Epstein’s Sweetheart Plea Deal Dies

July 22, 2025
JONATHAN R. SOO HOO: The Deep State Is A Threat To Democracy — And Trump Is Draining It

JONATHAN R. SOO HOO: The Deep State Is A Threat To Democracy — And Trump Is Draining It

July 22, 2025
Verdict Is In: Biden’s Billions Only Enough To Build Measly Number Of EV Chargers

Verdict Is In: Biden’s Billions Only Enough To Build Measly Number Of EV Chargers

July 22, 2025
Jim Jordan Says Alleged Obama Admin Plot To Take Out Trump Should Be Investigated ‘To The Fullest Extent’

Jim Jordan Says Alleged Obama Admin Plot To Take Out Trump Should Be Investigated ‘To The Fullest Extent’

July 22, 2025
Barack Obama Dispatches Spox To Fire Back At Trump’s Russiagate Treason Allegations

Barack Obama Dispatches Spox To Fire Back At Trump’s Russiagate Treason Allegations

July 22, 2025
DANIEL MCCARTHY: Whose Politics Canceled Stephen Colbert?

DANIEL MCCARTHY: Whose Politics Canceled Stephen Colbert?

July 22, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: Beto O’Rourke Grins At Idea Of ‘Fantastic’ Jasmine Crockett Running For Senate

EXCLUSIVE: Beto O’Rourke Grins At Idea Of ‘Fantastic’ Jasmine Crockett Running For Senate

July 22, 2025
Judges Block Trump Pick Alina Habba As New Jersey’s Top Prosecutor

Judges Block Trump Pick Alina Habba As New Jersey’s Top Prosecutor

July 22, 2025
How Blue City Ex-Felon Given ‘Clean Slate’ Rose To Political Power — Before Getting Arrested Again

How Blue City Ex-Felon Given ‘Clean Slate’ Rose To Political Power — Before Getting Arrested Again

July 22, 2025
Rand Paul Tells Charlie Kirk Why He Thinks Fauci Is ‘Most Likely’ Biden Pardon Recipient ‘To Be Chargeable’

Rand Paul Tells Charlie Kirk Why He Thinks Fauci Is ‘Most Likely’ Biden Pardon Recipient ‘To Be Chargeable’

July 22, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Australia Is ‘Testing the Limits’ Amid COVID, Testing ‘Orwellian’ New App To Track People: Report

by Bradley Cortright
September 2, 2021 at 1:53 pm
in News
235 17
0
Reopenings Stall as US Records Nearly 50,000 Cases of COVID-19 in Single Day

(Mike Blake/Reuters)

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

One state in Australia is trying out a new way to curb the spread of COVID-19 by launching a new app designed to track residents to help enforce quarantine rules.

According to The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf, Australia was once “one of Earth’s freest societies” until the coronavirus spread around the world. Now, it has become a “hermit continent” in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

Friedersdorf asked, “How long can a country maintain emergency restrictions on its citizens’ lives while still calling itself a liberal democracy?”

“Australia has been testing the limits,” he said.

An Australian government website says, “Australia’s borders are currently closed, and international travel from Australia remains strictly controlled to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

“International travel from Australia is only available if you are exempt or you have been granted an individual exemption,” the website adds.

Friedersdorf notes that “another government website, dedicated to setting forth Australia’s human-rights-treaty obligations” says that the freedom to leave a country “cannot be made dependent on establishing a purpose or reason for leaving.”

Aside from international travel, there are also restrictions on intrastate travel.

As The Atlantic notes, “The government of South Australia, one of the country’s six states, developed and is now testing an app as Orwellian as any in the free world to enforce its quarantine rules.”

“People in South Australia will be forced to download an app that combines facial recognition and geolocation. The state will text them at random times, and thereafter they will have 15 minutes to take a picture of their face in the location where they are supposed to be. Should they fail, the local police department will be sent to follow up in person. ‘We don’t tell them how often or when, on a random basis they have to reply within 15 minutes,’ Premier Steven Marshall explained. ‘I think every South Australian should feel pretty proud that we are the national pilot for the home-based quarantine app,'” Friedersdorf added.

Australia has made headlines in recent days over clashes in Melbourne and Sydney between police officers and people protesting COVID-19 measures after stay-at-home orders were extended.

In another example of the harsh measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, one local government reportedly fatally shot dogs that were supposed to go to a shelter in another town due to concerns that shelter employees could spread the virus.

Meanwhile, other states have imposed curfews and deployed the military to enforce lockdowns.

Tags: Coronavirus Outbreakpoliticsworld news
Share196Tweet123
Bradley Cortright

Bradley Cortright

IJR, Senior Writer He's written for Independent Journal Review since 2019.

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th