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Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

abc.net.au

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Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#101

Post by quickthrower2 »

KorematsuFred wrote: post #38
mastazi wrote: post #30

I have migrated to Australia many years ago and I have recently become eligible to become a citizen. However I’ve heard stories of tech companies refusing to hire Australians because of the AA Bill, so I’m holding it off for now. The problem seems to be the provision that a tech worker can be coerced by the Australian Government into creating a backdoor, and they are not authorised to disclose it to their employer. I…

Is this true ? There is no way I am hiring an Australian citizen then.

Do they have to tell you they are an Australian citizen? E.g. if they happen to also have local citizenship of your country?

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#102

Post by quickthrower2 »

magduf wrote: post #7
jjcm wrote: post #4

That's one of the biggest things that lawmakers here couldn't seem to understand - tech companies have high mobility across borders. Even if a law has no teeth, why would Microsoft store data in Australia when the next country over can still serve data for the region? It just creates too much risk, from a privacy and PR standpoint. Startups will be more adverse to founding in Australia as well. It just creates a blac…

Australia's lawmakers just need to amend the law so that it doesn't matter where the data is stored, as long as the company operates within their nation's borders. I'd like to see how the Australian government handles things when MS cancels all their Windows and Office licenses.

What? Microsoft intentionally reducing their licence revenue?

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#103

Post by m1sta_ »

TallGuyShort wrote: post #71
mastazi wrote: post #30

I have migrated to Australia many years ago and I have recently become eligible to become a citizen. However I’ve heard stories of tech companies refusing to hire Australians because of the AA Bill, so I’m holding it off for now. The problem seems to be the provision that a tech worker can be coerced by the Australian Government into creating a backdoor, and they are not authorised to disclose it to their employer. I…

How confident are my fellow American citizens that the American government doesn't effectively have the same power? I mean if someone showed up at your house in a black Suburban with an official-looking letter that seemed like a court order that you provide them with a backdoor and threatening you with all manner of charges if you go public. How confident are you you could walk away cleanly from that any other way?

Of course they have the same power. Australia is just more open about it because the compulsion power is formalised.

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#107

Post by why_only_15 »

dragonwriter wrote: post #63
12298765 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've also been around for longer than anyone else with a modern democracy, and our goal is longevity of a sustainable relationship between the people and their government. We have some issues in our country right now, but I have a good feeling we'll get them worked out in the next few years. Many of our laws and rights are in place not for short term feelings about safety between people and police, but for long term…

> We've also been around for longer than anyone else with a modern democracy No, we haven't. In fact, we copied it largely from the UK. (We didn't like the fact that as a colony we didn't get representation in the national legislature or the full range of rights citizens in the UK itself had, but, hey, the US does the same thing. Initially, and still partially, even to it's capital district . We've got the oldest sur…

The US has a very different system in a lot of ways. The UK doesn't have a formal constitution, its executive is subject to the legislature in a way it isn't in the US, one house, etc. The UK is a parliamentary democracy and the US is a republic. Also, the UK wasn't a democracy in any meaningful sense in 1776. The History Of Parliament Online is a very useful resource (https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/research/constitue...). Out of some 6 million people in 1776 that lived in Britain, approximately 100,000 had the right to vote, most of which were in a small segment (i.e. the ability to vote was highly geographically concentrated).

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#108

Post by talaketu »

jjcm wrote: post #4

That's one of the biggest things that lawmakers here couldn't seem to understand - tech companies have high mobility across borders. Even if a law has no teeth, why would Microsoft store data in Australia when the next country over can still serve data for the region? It just creates too much risk, from a privacy and PR standpoint. Startups will be more adverse to founding in Australia as well. It just creates a blac…

Technologists need to understand that governments do not form policies, legislate and operate in isolation. There is cooperation. Tax and trade treaties are another example.

See [1] for commentary about the international agenda in this case.

[1] https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/disruptors-dis...

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#109

Post by why_only_15 »

chirau wrote: post #106
xiaodai wrote: post #75

It's quite sad that Australia has such a stupid law.

are you sad about any of the "stupid" (relative and subjective term) laws in the US? Would be curious to know which, if any.

What? Of course everybody has some laws they dislike that are stupid. To get a sampler, check out @crimeaday on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CrimeADay).

Re: Microsoft says encryption laws make companies wary of storing data in Australia

#110

Post by F147H34D »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #6

I was about ready to move all my email over to Fastmail before this happened. But not now.

if you are using your own domain, consider self hosting on AWS. A reserved instance will be about the same price. Check out:

https://mailinabox.email/

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