New Australian Laws Force Facebook, WhatsApp to Open Encrypted Messages

gizmodo.com.au

24 points·gravelc··6 comments

Its laughable that the 5 eyes make this policy, and try to use sympathetic old politicians who have no idea what it can entail, to implement it everywhere as policy in those countries and elsewhere.

Its reasoning is contemptible to western values. The banana republic-ization of the west continues. Its a disgrace.

Article contradicts its own title. WhatsApp is not required to open end-to-end encrypted messages.

It does and it doesn’t. It’s entirely unclear what the new laws are hoping to achieve. PM Turnbull appears to think that companies can decrypt messages without a back door, with the only thing stopping them to date is the fact they haven’t been compelled to do so.

This is an actual real quote from him : “The laws of mathematics are very commendable but the only laws that apply in Australia is the law of Australia.”

I thought Tony Abbott was in a league of his own but clearly Turnbull is holding his own.

Possibly the legislation could force a limited keyspace to be implemented, thereby allowing those with sufficient compute power to brute force all the possible private keys. Obviously this is a terrible idea.

I think this is just an effort by Turnbull to muster the conservatives in his party back around him, as lately he's been getting flogged by party members over his 'moderate' policies.

He does at least admit he knows exactly nothing about this area, and is leaning on the UK contact who told him this was "feasable".

But, considering they're ignoring Troy Hunt, who is usually an advisor in these matters, its clear they just don't care. (Moreso as this appears to be a bipartisan decision).

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