Australia bans encryption, the first Western nation to do so. Its parliament recently passed a bill that forces companies to give encrypted data to police upon demand. Companies also have to build tools to bypass encryption (via Reuters).
[Dangerous Australia Encryption Law Passed]
Law < Math
The lower house of parliament passed the bill last Thursday. It was supposed to be debated in the upper Senate but in a last-minute twist it was passed a bit early, on the grounds that amendments be agreed upon next year.
Companies can be fined up to A$10 million (US$7.3 million) and individuals can be thrown in prison if they don’t hand over data linked to suspected illegal activities. Australia says these laws are needed to counter terrorism and organized crime. But everyone else says it’s harmful.
Other countries in the Five Eyes alliance—including the United States—are sure to closely watch how it unfolds.
On behalf of all Australians, I’d like to apologise for this unspeakable act perpetrated by politicians on all sides here. I know it was done at the request of the US, and for that I doubly apologise. Australians get really upset when I point out that the one thing we’re really good a doing is What-We-Are-Told. The Brits called the shots for over a century, and while we grumble and act all anti-establishment, we went off to die in British wars, and things are no different with our American masters. There is some light, though. Like the US and UK,… Read more »
Hi gGrant, thanks for your comment. It’s great to hear someone with a first-person perspective on this. I too hope Apple stands strong in this, although as you said it’s bigger than the FBI fight.
So, Apple just folds up shop and stops selling anything in Australia?
Orwell Might cringe.