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Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

abc.net.au

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Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#51

Post by dbetteridge »

acutesoftware wrote: post #38

I am an Australian software developer and am currently getting https://www.lifepim.com ready for release which, funnily enough has the main selling point as "Your data is private, secure and free from adverts" - what a joke. The scary part is not knowing how the law is going to be implemented - I am hopeful that smart people work on the implementation of it in terms of practicality. If it is an on request thing "give…

Looks like a cool product.

Realistically could we just setup all code to be hosted overseas and then pay a set of reviewers in Europe to check PR's for possible backdoors? Don't think the law let's them compell you to build the backdoor in a super secret and hidden way...

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#52

Post by neotek »

apatters wrote: post #37
healsjnr1 wrote: post #15

This is another thing that adds to my deep sense of shame to live in this country (sadly, that list is long and growing). This bill does nothing to prevent the kinds of things it is intended to prevent. The apps this law targets were engineered specifically to prevent this kind of interference. The idea that passing legislation will suddenly change that, magically allowing decryption of messages is beyond idiotic. Th…

> This is another thing that adds to my deep sense of shame to live in this country (sadly, that list is long and growing). I don't support this legislation, but I have to ask, which country is doing a better job on human rights issues than Australia in your opinion? Surely not China or nearly any country in Asia, Africa, or South America? Surely not the US? Probably not much of Europe?

Why does it matter? It's not a zero sum game, what others are doing is completely irrelevant to the question of whether or not what we're doing is disgustingly immoral (and it is, as far as I'm concerned.)

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#53

Post by brokenmachine »

steve_taylor wrote: post #25
cyphar wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Australian software developer who has written encryption software in the past, I'm also very concerned. I'm also doubly concerned that projects will now reject my patches because of my nationality. What an amazing shitshow of a government.

I’m seriously considering moving from Australia to a country that isn’t part of the Five Eyes.

I'm thinking about moving to NZ. How are they?

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#55

Post by shakna »

apatters wrote: post #37
healsjnr1 wrote: post #15

This is another thing that adds to my deep sense of shame to live in this country (sadly, that list is long and growing). This bill does nothing to prevent the kinds of things it is intended to prevent. The apps this law targets were engineered specifically to prevent this kind of interference. The idea that passing legislation will suddenly change that, magically allowing decryption of messages is beyond idiotic. Th…

> This is another thing that adds to my deep sense of shame to live in this country (sadly, that list is long and growing). I don't support this legislation, but I have to ask, which country is doing a better job on human rights issues than Australia in your opinion? Surely not China or nearly any country in Asia, Africa, or South America? Surely not the US? Probably not much of Europe?

To paraphrase our PM, speaking on medical evacuation of children, "I will do whatever is possible to prevent it."

Australia's government blocked legislation that would help kids not die. Because they came on a boat. Which has never been the primary way illegal immigrants get into this country.

Nauru was declared a human rights travesty by the UN.

The medical board that decides whether or not it is a medical emergency that needs to be treated in Australia is staffed by lawyers and only occasionally features a doctor.

We're killing people from neglect, because they dared to take any avenue available to them to escape their homes.

If we put half the effort into assessing their case as we do into making sure they stay in a place reminiscent of WWII slave encampments, there would be no issues.

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#56

Post by neotek »

lwansbrough wrote: post #3

Literally zero percent chance I touch any software made in Australia now.

This immensely stupid law applies to any business that operates in Australia, which includes Google, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook, Github, and every other major tech company on the planet.

If they want to continue doing business in Australia (and they very much do) then they'll be forced to comply, which means everybody in the world is negatively affected by this insanity.

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#57

Post by rswail »

_Nat_ wrote: post #43

Some of the comments so far seem to suggest that this bill would require software to include backdoors. However, it looks like [the bill's PDF]( https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bi... ) includes: > Division 7—Limitations > 317ZG Designated communications provider must not be required to implement or build a systemic weakness or systemic vulnerability etc. > (1) A technical assistance notice o…

The problem is that "systemic weakness" and "systemic vulnerability" are very badly defined.

There's no definition of what "render systemic methods of authentication or encryption less effective".

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#59

Post by toyg »

keithnz wrote: post #30
TheChaplain wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't Atlassian Australian? Or did they move?

So that means things like BitBucket / Trello are now all fair game to the Australian government?

Trello is based in NYC. I don’t know the actual corporate structure, but they could potentially be spun into a controlled company, maybe, to avoid this law somehow.

To be honest, Trello is the least of your worries, with Atlassian. Authorities having unfettered access to all your code, regardless of privacy settings, is more worrying imho. Then again, GitHub is US-based and the PATRIOT Act already gives that power to US authorities, so if you care about that, self-hosting in the only way.

Re: Australian parliament passes encryption laws unamended

#60

Post by pvg »

brokenmachine wrote: post #36

Could an expat Australian dev be compelled to put backdoors in software even while overseas, under threat of being prosecuted when he returns? If so, Australians can't even be employed in foreign software companies.

No. People work in jurisdictions other than their own with potentially conflicting laws all the time. If it worked the way you seem to be suggesting it does, nobody, never mind Australians, would be able to work outside their home municipality at all.
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