Protester in Australia banned from using private apps, has to turn over his phone and passwords to cops

Greg Rolles, a member of climate action group Blockade Australia, was arrested in June for participating in protests the government deemed illegal. His bail conditions include not using encrypted apps, like WhatsApp and Signal, and he has to produce his phone and laptop any time a police officer demands.

Additionally, he can only have one phone and there is a list of 38 people, most of them his friends, that he is not allowed to communicate with.

These bail conditions have been described as “extreme” and “unusual” by some legal experts.

Jane Sanders, a solicitor at Shopfront Youth Legal Center, said to ABC such bail conditions are not common apart from serious offenses like child abuse material and drug trafficking.

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