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When's A Backdoor Not A Backdoor? When The Oz Government Says It Isn't

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 14 2018, @07:45PM   
from the just-use-the-front-door dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

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.

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Original Submission

• first test will prove who is bossfirst test will prove who is boss (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @07:59PM (6 children)

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @07:59PM (#721508)

  So the first test of this in court, say Apple vs Oz, should be very interesting. Especially as Apple are notorious for protecting terrorists in the name of "user privacy" while screwing their users' privacy openly 24/7. If you hurry, you can get a front-row seat for this showdown.

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• itIsAgainstScoundrelsThatOppressiveLaws R 1stAimed(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:19PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:19PM (#721514)

  The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all. — H. L. Mencken

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• Re:first test will prove who is bossRe:first test will prove who is boss (Score: 2, Disagree) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday August 14 2018, @09:28PM (4 children)

  by Runaway1956 (2926) on Tuesday August 14 2018, @09:28PM (#721545) Journal

  I suspect that you might be American. Test? In court? Maybe. But, let us be aware that Oz law has little in common with US law. It has much in common with UK law though. Oz is a kind of democracy, governed by the Crown, which is not very democratic at all. We are (or should be) aware of how the law is abused in this country when government really really wants you. That sort of abuse is easier to justify when you have a Crown to blame it all on.

  --
  We're gonna be able to vacation in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and maybe Minnesota soon. Incredible times.

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  • Re:first test will prove who is bossRe:first test will prove who is boss (Score: 2) by archfeld on Tuesday August 14 2018, @10:59PM (1 child)

    by archfeld (4650) <treboreel@live.com> on Tuesday August 14 2018, @10:59PM (#721584) Journal

    The US is NOT a democracy and never has been. We are a Republic, which on its's surface seems the same but actually isn't. We get to vote in a popular election, but the actual mechanics involve electorals who represent the population but have differing outlooks based on the state they represent.

    --
    For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge

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    • Re:first test will prove who is boss(Score: 3, Informative) by HiThere on Tuesday August 14 2018, @11:52PM

      by HiThere (866) on Tuesday August 14 2018, @11:52PM (#721611) Journal

      I would have said "based on the power block" rather than "based on the state". And the results aren't really the same.

      --
      Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.

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  • Re:first test will prove who is bossRe:first test will prove who is boss (Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Wednesday August 15 2018, @12:44AM (1 child)

    by driverless (4770) on Wednesday August 15 2018, @12:44AM (#721623)

    let us be aware that Oz law has little in common with US law.

    Given that Australian law trumps the laws of mathematics [newscientist.com], it's clear that Oz law has little in common with any kind of law.

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      Re:first test will prove who is boss(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 15 2018, @08:56AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 15 2018, @08:56AM (#721711)

      Given that Australian law trumps the laws of mathematics

      Trump! Trump!! Trump!!! ... MAAAGAAAAA!

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