
Australian Police and spies gain powers to access encrypted messages - brokenmachine
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/police-spies-gain-powers-to-access-encrypted-messages-after-political-deal-struck-20181204-p50k74.html
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brokenmachine
_> The bill specifies that such a capability cannot introduce a “systemic
weakness” that could imperil all encrypted communications on the same platform
- a key concern of privacy groups and the technology sector.

>In one of the most significant compromises, the bill will define what
constitutes a "systemic weakness"._

I'm eagerly awaiting the explanation of how they intend to break encryption
without introducing systemic weakness.

~~~
anon2775
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip)

Also note that Telegram and WhatsApp are insecure and horrible. I would use
Signal, OTR and maybe iMessage if you trust the Apple bean-counter-turned-CEO.

~~~
brokenmachine
That was interesting. That page took me to the paper, "Keys Under Doormats:
Mandating insecurity by requiring government access to all data and
communications" (2015) -
[http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/97690](http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/97690)

From the conclusion:

 _> This report’s analysis of law enforcement demands for exceptional access
to private communications and data shows that such access will open doors
through which criminals and malicious nation-states can attack the very
individuals law enforcement seeks to defend. The costs would be substantial,
the damage to innovation severe, and the consequences to economic growth
difficult to predict. The costs to developed countries’ soft power and to our
moral authority would also be considerable.

<snip>

> If law enforcement wishes to prioritize exceptional access, we suggest that
> they need to provide evidence to document their requirements and then
> develop genuine, detailed specifications for what they expect exceptional
> access mechanisms to do. As computer scientists and security experts, we are
> committed to remaining engaged in the dialogue with all parts of our
> governments, to help discern the best path through these complex questions._

This is a paper by experts in the field. The Australian government would do
well to listen to them and not fantasize that they can legislate away reality.

------
anon2775
_Get your Clipper chips! Steaming hot Clipper chips! Chocked full of vitamins,
backdoors and laughably lazy intelligence agency bungling!_

