A new law proposed by the Australian government would force internet companies to allow law enforcement agencies access to encrypted data. According to the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, the proposal would be modelled on a British law that gave UK intelligence agencies extensive surveillance powers. Companies impacted would include Facebook and Google. Turnbull has said that Australia needs to “ensure that the internet is not used as a dark place for bad people to hide their criminal activities”. If the law were passed, the process would involve imposing obligations on manufacturers and internet companies to “provide appropriate assistance to intelligence and law enforcement” when warranted. However, the proposed law has been criticised by security researchers, who have pointed out that “as you start to build in weaknesses into the design of encryption, you put it at risk for everyone”.
