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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: 2) by legont on Wednesday August 15 2018, @10:52PM (3 children)
I would not go as far as to call it impossible. We definitely need one and perhaps should work on it.
Outside of high tech life this system definitely exists. One just gives the data to an attorney and refuses to give it to the authorities. At some point the data can be obtained from the attorney and this closes the case (no more torture).
It is probably not very difficult to come up with a similar strategy. In fact it probably already exists, but I am not an expert.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday August 15 2018, @10:58PM (2 children)
Come to think about it, perhaps it is exactly what authorities want when they ask for so called back doors. They want an ability to get to the data given a due legal process. Looks like a reasonable wish and our job is to provide a reasonable solution. Otherwise we'll end up in dark ages of investigations.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by edIII on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:32PM (1 child)
Fuck that noise. I want to go back to the "dark ages" of investigations. Where they did actual work again. Generated enough evidence to convince the judicial branch to allow them to probe for more. None of this fishing shit.
The feature you allude to is called Deniable encryption, and is a very valuable feature when supported correctly. I want extremely strong encryption in use, everywhere. Zero mass surveillance, distributed social media systems (Diaspora), and in general, extremely strong privacy for all communications between citizens. If we can construct a network that provides anonymity too, all the better.
Here's the catch though, and why I have zero fucking sympathy for the cops (or pigs): Extremely effective side-channel attacks. If the police are doing their jobs, and collecting enough evidence of your crimes to judicially warrant more extreme measures, it's already possible to monitor them in such ways that make it all but impossible to defeat the cops. We have NSA tech that can read shit going across USB from thousands of feet in the air. Stringray drones that hijack and intercept smartphone signals. Audio surveillance sophisticated enough to listen to whole buildings. Cheap tools ($1,000 USD) to read encryption keys in use, and only requires being in proximity to the target. Side channel attacks against various communication systems are developed all the time. Security is so weak right now, that it is almost funny that they think they must compromise encryption to get the job done, when compromising shoddy implementations is so much easier.
In other words, there are plenty of tools beyond weak encryption that allow cops to do their jobs. It does require them to actually get up and move their asses though, instead of sifting through citizens activity looking for crimes and other "low hanging fruit". Which is fucking stupid and offensive anyways, and will miss the more sophisticated groups that will still communicate silently regardless of how totalitarian the government becomes.
We don't owe them jack shit, and we certainly don't owe them our willing abrogation of our human and civil rights for purported safety.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday August 17 2018, @01:45AM
I accept your arguments and I actually moderated you up; thank you. I do agree with it.
Perhaps, the issue is that the US wants 100% success period, which is not reasonable. The whole airplane security nightmare started with one successful hijacking. Before that folks would hijack airplanes at gun point legally brought on-board and ask for money. FBI would give them money and then hunt and catch them; case closed. Nobody gave a shit except some fun flying. Then one guy got away using parachute and the whole system is downhill since then.
We all need to relax a little, do our jobs, and not try to be the fucking world leaders.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.