Get the latest tech news

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess issues warning to big tech companies they may soon be forced to unlock encrypted chats


ASIO boss Mike Burgess says he may soon use powers to compel tech companies to cooperate with warrants and unlock encrypted chats to aid national security investigations.

ASIO head, Mike Burgess, says he may soon use powers to compel tech companies to cooperate with warrants and unlock encrypted chats to aid in national security investigations. In 2018, Australia passed legislation that was considered groundbreaking at the time, requiring tech companies to cooperate with law enforcement agencies' requests to access messages exchanged on encrypted platforms. The fear, tech companies say, is that it would create a "backdoor" vulnerable to bad actors' actions, including autocratic regimes spying on human rights activists or journalists.

Get the Android app

Or read this on r/technology

Read more on:

Photo of big tech companies

big tech companies

Photo of encrypted chats

encrypted chats

Photo of ASIO

ASIO

Related news:

News photo

Brazil Plans Tax on Big Tech Companies to Narrow Fiscal Deficit

News photo

These are the best US big tech companies excelling at work-life balance

News photo

China's Big Tech companies taught Asia to pay by scanning QR codes, but made a mess along the way