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Apple Criticizes Proposed Anti-Encryption Legislation in Australia
The Australian government is considering a bill that would require tech companies like Apple to provide "critical assistance" to government agencies who are investigating crimes.
According to the Australian government, encryption is problematic because encrypted communications "are increasingly being used by terrorist groups and organized criminals to avoid detection and disruption."
As noted by TechCrunch, Apple today penned a seven-page letter to the Australian parliament criticizing the proposed legislation.
In the letter, Apple calls the bill "dangerously ambiguous" and explains the importance of encryption in "protecting national security and citizens' lives" from criminal attackers who are finding more serious and sophisticated ways to infiltrate iOS devices.
According to Apple, the language in the bill is broad and vague, with "ill-defined restrictions." As an example, Apple says the language in the bill would permit the government to order companies who make smart home speakers to "install persistent eavesdropping capabilities" or require device makers to create a tool to unlock devices.
Apple says additional work needs to be done on the bill to include a "firm mandate" that "prohibits the weakening of encryption or security protections," with the company going on to outline a wide range of specific concerns that it hopes the Australian parliament will address. The list of flaws Apple has found with the bill can be found in the full letter.
Apple has been fighting against anti-encryption legislation and attempts to weaken device encryption for years, and its most public battle was against the U.S. government in 2016 after Apple was ordered to help the FBI unlock the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino.
Apple opposed the order and claimed that it would set a "dangerous precedent" with serious implications for the future of smartphone encryption. Apple ultimately held its ground and the U.S. government backed off after finding an alternate way to access the device, but Apple has continually had to deal with further law enforcement efforts to combat encryption.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
According to the Australian government, encryption is problematic because encrypted communications "are increasingly being used by terrorist groups and organized criminals to avoid detection and disruption."
As noted by TechCrunch, Apple today penned a seven-page letter to the Australian parliament criticizing the proposed legislation.
In the letter, Apple calls the bill "dangerously ambiguous" and explains the importance of encryption in "protecting national security and citizens' lives" from criminal attackers who are finding more serious and sophisticated ways to infiltrate iOS devices.
In the face of these threats, this is no time to weaken encryption. There is profound risk of making criminals' jobs easier, not harder. Increasingly stronger -- not weaker -- encryption is the best way to protect against these threats.Apple says that it "challenges the idea" that weaker encryption is necessary to aid law enforcement investigations as it has processed more than 26,000 requests for data to help solve crimes in Australia over the course of the last five years.
According to Apple, the language in the bill is broad and vague, with "ill-defined restrictions." As an example, Apple says the language in the bill would permit the government to order companies who make smart home speakers to "install persistent eavesdropping capabilities" or require device makers to create a tool to unlock devices.
Apple says additional work needs to be done on the bill to include a "firm mandate" that "prohibits the weakening of encryption or security protections," with the company going on to outline a wide range of specific concerns that it hopes the Australian parliament will address. The list of flaws Apple has found with the bill can be found in the full letter.
Apple has been fighting against anti-encryption legislation and attempts to weaken device encryption for years, and its most public battle was against the U.S. government in 2016 after Apple was ordered to help the FBI unlock the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino.
Apple opposed the order and claimed that it would set a "dangerous precedent" with serious implications for the future of smartphone encryption. Apple ultimately held its ground and the U.S. government backed off after finding an alternate way to access the device, but Apple has continually had to deal with further law enforcement efforts to combat encryption.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tags: Australia, Encryption
[ 119 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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10 months ago
If there’s one thing that you can’t criticize Apple for, it’s their stance on your right to privacy.
10 months ago
I love how Apple pretends to be the good guy and I love how people believe it. LOL!
Look forward to you posting some citations backing your nebulous statement.
In any case, they are the only corporate entity that at least tries to stand by privacy rights, mostly cause they can as it doesn't officially make money off selling it's user data.
10 months ago
I’m 110% behind Apple on this one. Even if I wasn’t, I still would be - anything to call out the Liberal party on their bull****.
10 months ago
That appears to be ongoing issue with these types of legislation; vague and broad.
And that's the problem with stuff like this, mission creep.
In the UK, RIPA was only going to affect people involved in serious criminal activity. It's been used for dog fouling, and to see if people live in the correct school catchment area.
They can't use their powers responsibly, so they shouldn't have them.
10 months ago
Apple only follows the law in China.
Maybe you should go to China and try to openly criticise the government there, let us know how that turns out for you ;)
10 months ago
I love how Apple pretends to be the good guy and I love how people believe it. LOL!
10 months ago
I literally don't know one Australian that talks like that. A number of those words aren't even Strine (Australian Broad Accent and Slang).
Australians don’t talk like that? Really? I had no idea.
Next you’re going to tell me that Americans don’t hyuck-hyuck and punctuate every sentence with a gunshot as an eagle soars above their head to the background chant of U-S-A! U-S-A!
Thanks for keeping me right.
10 months ago
The rest of the 5 eyes consortium is hoping this gets through down under - such a dumb idea. Go Apple.
Its always good to remember what happens when really important stuff like this gets put in government (but really any organization's hands) - it eventually gets out and or gets abused:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/08/dnc-hackers-from-russia-used-nsa-developed-attack-code-in-attack-on-hotels/
Its always good to remember what happens when really important stuff like this gets put in government (but really any organization's hands) - it eventually gets out and or gets abused:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/08/dnc-hackers-from-russia-used-nsa-developed-attack-code-in-attack-on-hotels/
10 months ago
Any terrorist or organized crime that would ever be stupid enough to make their plans with a smart speaker nearby would most assuredly be easily caught via legitimate/legal means anyway. This is simply the government wanting the ability to easily surveil the masses with complete disregard for the right of privacy.
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