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Australia's promised “not-a-backdoor” crypto-busting bill is out and the government has kept its word - it doesn't want a backdoor, just the keys to your front one.
The draft of The Assistance and Access Bill 2018 calls for anyone using or selling communications services in Australia will be subject to police orders for access to private data.
That includes all vendors of computers, phones, apps, social media and cloud services in the Lucky Country, and anyone within national borders using them. These data-tapping orders will be enforced with fines of up to AU$10m (US$7.3m) for companies or $50,000 ($36,368) for individuals
The draft legislation also wants five years in prison for anyone who reveals a data-slurping investigation is going on. And while there's no explicit encryption backdoor requirements in the 110 page draft bill, our first look suggests there doesn't need to be.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by edIII on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:25PM (5 children)
The more precise way to say it, is that they want key-escrow. The FBI had already proposed this more than a couple of times I think, and tried to get key-escrow made into law. However, it is still a backdoor. That's because Alice and Bob are trying to have a conversation, so Mallory is given copies of the keys. Except Mallory is a wanton whore who could bend over and take a grapefruit in her backdoor without touching the sides. So key-escrow is still a backdoor because anyone with the right connections and skillsets can still gain access to the content of Alice and Bob's conversation via Mallory. The difference between a copy of the encryption keys, and embedding a 2nd encryption key (to weaken the first if possessed), is minimal. In practice they amount to the same thing.
This is why open source movements for zero knowledge and end-to-end encryption are so important. Telegram, which isn't exactly open source, is run non-profit. SpiderOak is a zero knowledge for-profit backup service. Those are just two services that are entirely impossible to "front-door", hence will just disappear from Australia.
Australia isn't just going after companies, but the average citizen as well. So while they won't be able to touch an org like Telegram, they will be able to fine anyone using it in Australia. Or they just create the Great Barrier of Australia and imitate China.
I hope the average Australian resists like hell. My response is going to be to never visit Australia or do business with it, or companies based in Australia. Would you store sensitive data with an Australian company now? Didn't think so.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:43PM (3 children)
Outrage from incels. check
Nobody cares. check
Go get laid, you incel. Real men are taking care of this. We don't need input from pussies like you.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @09:01PM
Wow, you make a strong argument there, kid.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @10:19PM (1 child)
Sounds like someone needs to get laid.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday August 14 2018, @11:03PM
s/needs to/can't and never will/g -i GPPost.pl
In before "that's what SHE sed" (because yes, yes it is).
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday August 15 2018, @04:10AM
Most serious businesses are back-doored already anyway. They can not risk scenario "our admin lost the password so we are out of business".
Hence the logic "why Joe should be more secure?".
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.