Australian PM Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban, Says the Laws of Mathematics Don’t Apply Down Under

July 15th, 2017

Awake Goy

Australian PM Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban, Says the Laws of Mathematics Don’t Apply Down Under

July 15th, 2017

#comedygold

Via: EFF:

“The laws of mathematics are very commendable but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia”, said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today. He has been rightly mocked for this nonsense claim, that foreshadows moves to require online messaging providers to provide law enforcement with back door access to encrypted messages. He explained that “We need to ensure that the internet is not used as a dark place for bad people to hide their criminal activities from the law.” It bears repeating that Australia is part of the secretive spying and information sharing Five Eyes alliance.

But despite the well-deserved mockery that ensued, we shouldn’t make too much light of the real risk that this poses to Internet freedom in Australia. It’s true enough, for now, that a ban on end-to-end encrypted messaging in Australia would have absolutely no effect on “bad people”, who would simply avoid using major platforms with weaker forms of encryption, in favor of other apps that use strong end-to-end encryption based on industry standard mathematical algorithms. It would hurt ordinary citizens who rely on encryption to make sure that their conversations are secure and private from prying eyes.

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