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Old 12 May 2021, 07:33 AM   #1
emoore
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 280
new surveillance legislation

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...ications.shtml mentions that "The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) believes there is no legitimate reason for a law-abiding member of the community to own or use an encrypted communication platform." and "proposes new surveillance legislation that would grant Australian law enforcement new powers to disrupt data transmissions, surveil network activity, and engage in takeovers of targeted accounts."

I liked one of the comments, "The banks are criminals!".

I've had a Fastmail account for about 18 years and wasn't too bothered about the Access and Assistance Bill (AABill) in 2018 as (according to the fastmail blog) it just "allows law enforcement to get a warrant for subscriber information and stored communications, while providing safeguards for user privacy.". But it looks like the environment is getting worse.

Can somebody knowledgeable about Australian politics provide some perspective?
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Old 12 May 2021, 07:55 AM   #2
TenFour
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One thing I wonder is what laws pertain if you use Fastmail based in Australia, but I believe their servers are located in New York or New Jersey. And maybe you are located in a third country. On the other hand, I believe if state-level actors want to get your communications they will one way or another. I don't think Fastmail utilizes encrypted email anyway, so a warrant could certainly obtain your mail.
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Old 12 May 2021, 12:01 PM   #3
emoore
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I'm in the USA and appear to use the New York Internet (NYI) data center in New Jersey. I'm only concerned about data brokers and crooks, not "state level actors".

I read the entire ACIC document. The problem is not their asking for "new powers to disrupt data transmissions, surveil network activity, and engage in takeovers of targeted accounts" its the attitude implied by "ACIC observation shows there is no legitimate reason for a law-abiding member of the community to own or use an encrypted communication platform."
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Old 12 May 2021, 07:31 PM   #4
pjroutledge
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Melbourne, Oz
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Encrypted communications are the equivalent of having curtains or blinds at windows in our homes.

I'm not doing anything illegal at home - I'm a 'law-abiding member of the community' - but there are things I do at home that are private, and, like most people, I have curtains or blinds to provide some privacy.

Saying that 'there is no legitimate reason for a law-abiding member of the community to own or use an encrypted communication platform' is like saying 'there is no legitimate reason for a law-abiding member of the community to have curtains or blinds on their home's windows'.

Sure, curtains and blinds could be used by none law-abiding members of the community to hide illegal activity, but the solution is not to prohibit curtains and blinds for everybody.
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Old 12 May 2021, 10:13 PM   #5
hadaso
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pjroutledge View Post
Encrypted communications are the equivalent of having curtains or blinds at windows in our homes
This is not the right analogy.Curtains and blinds are more like sending someone a private message in these (unencrypted) forums instead of posting the same message in public. Encrypted communications are more like locking your car when you park it in a public place, to make it harder for someone else to take the car or whatever is in it. (And authentication to access your private accounts are like the lock on your door that prevents others from entering without your permission).
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Old 14 May 2021, 08:07 AM   #6
digp
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"there is no legitimate reason for a law-abiding member of the community to own or use an encrypted communication platform"

Please can they let the US & UK government know this as it will be news to them as the officials use it.

LOL.
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