Paul G Conlon

Author | Senior Engineer & Product Manager | Writing on Freedom, Identity, and Responsibility

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

My latest research article examines one of the most common objections to Western Australian independence:

that Canberra would respond with military force.

History, constitutional law & Australia's own regional security relationships suggest a more nuanced answer.

Published today by @SecessionWA

[Secession by Western Australia @SecessionWA]

https://t.co/0xf69Ylqn1

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

The danger isn't merely Digital ID itself. It's the gradual cultural expectation that proving who you are should precede participating in ordinary life.

A free society begins from the opposite assumption. You should be left alone unless there is a compelling reason to identify yourself.

Every new convenience nudges that default in the other direction. Before long, identification isn't exceptional—it's routine. And once routine, refusing becomes suspicious.

That's how liberty is lost: not in one dramatic leap, but in a thousand everyday requests.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@MickCalautti Our children deserve better.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@goodfoodgal Optimising life around what governments can't print: health, family and character.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@elonmusk Institutions worthy of trust don't demand it. They make themselves auditable. That's good institutional design.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@AllBiteNoBark88 ...and the most honorable.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

The battleground isn't just the technology. It's the social expectation that identification should become routine and unquestioned.

Once proving who you are becomes the default for everyday life, freedom becomes something you must repeatedly ask permission to exercise.

Doesn't sit well with me.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@ellymelly Funny how the state seems more interested in what's inside your bin than what's outside it.

There's an old saying about fiddling while Rome burns.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

It does make one ponder the deeper meaning of ownership.

"You don't own what you can't defend" is an old adage that feels increasingly relevant to our modern smartphones.

AusAlert is perhaps a reminder of what we truly own: our reputation, our memories and our relationships.

Those are much harder to commandeer on a random Monday.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@Homeschool_LLC Like a swarm of bees, the real sting only emerges in aggregate.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@goodfoodgal This is the commercial friction we've all had to become accustomed to. The worse it gets, the stronger the incentive for individuals and markets to adopt alternatives, like Bitcoin, and drive the social change needed to normalise their use.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

We often hear "crazy house prices" blamed for people's circumstances, but usually against the backdrop of their own expectations rather than objective hardship. Cameron Murray offers an unconventional perspective on housing, money and expectation, inviting us to question even the phrase "housing crisis".

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

Today's AusAlert should have been:

⚠️ Surveillance state expanding!

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@Dollaruse @littlemykonos I just adore this @Dollaruse. A picture indeed says a thousand words.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

When too much surveillance still isn't enough...

I remember ice-cream trucks playing their chimes through the streets of my youth.

I wonder if today's children will remember surveillance drones in the same way.

[V @littlemykonos]

What the ..

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

We often hear "crazy house prices" blamed for people's circumstances, but usually against the backdrop of their own expectations rather than objective hardship. Cameron Murray offers an unconventional perspective on housing, money and expectation, inviting us to question even the phrase "housing crisis".

[Michael Arbon @arbsmichael]

Here's my recent interview with @DrCameronMurray, Chief Economist at Fresh Economic Thinking and author of 'The Great Housing Hijack'.

We cover a range of assumptions, myths and hoaxes that shape Australia's housing affordability debate.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

Today's AusAlert should have been:

⚠️ Surveillance state expanding!

[The People's King Elvis @Real_King_Elvis]

Social imprisonment by stealth.

VicPol just rolled out drones on the Mornington Peninsula to catch illegal trail bikes and e-bikes.

Perfect little problem most people will nod along to. “Yeah, those hoons are a menace.”

Once the drones are up and normalised? They’re not going back in the box.

Today it’s unregistered e-bikes.

Tomorrow it’s facial recognition of everyone walking past.
Digital ID. CBDC. Real-time tracking. Social credit scoring.

You’ll be watched whether you’ve committed a crime or not.

This is how it always starts. Soft entry. Feel-good enforcement.

Then the infrastructure stays and expands. Don’t let them sell you the “just this once” lie.

You won’t be safe anywhere

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@goodfoodgal This is the commercial friction we've all had to become accustomed to. The worse it gets, the stronger the incentive for individuals and markets to adopt alternatives, like Bitcoin, and drive the social change needed to normalise their use.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

@lavanya_sf Thats right. Liberty is lost at the fringes.

[Paul G Conlon @paulgconlon]

The battleground isn't just the technology. It's the social expectation that identification should become routine and unquestioned.

Once proving who you are becomes the default for everyday life, freedom becomes something you must repeatedly ask permission to exercise.

Doesn't sit well with me.