EFA is an independent non-profit association that relies on membership subscriptions and donations. If you’re concerned about digital rights in Australia, please join or donate today.

  • Major Privacy Threat: EFA Condemns Government’s Social Media Age Ban

    Electronic Frontiers Australia condemns the government’s recent confirmation of a social media ban for under-16s.  We firmly oppose any age-based restrictions that intrude on young Australians’ privacy, digital rights, and access to potentially life-saving information. “This ban represents an authoritarian and unnecessary step toward government intrusion into the online lives of young Australians, undermining their rights without adequate privacy and other  protections,” said John Pane, Chair of EFA. When does…

    READ MORE »

  • Notice of Annual General Meeting 2024.

    The EFA Annual General Meeting will be held online (Zoom) on Saturday, 16th November 2024. Time: We encourage members to participate in the AGM. It is anticipated to last no more than 1.5 hours. Meeting Agenda The meeting will consider the following matters. Board member elections and candidates There are five vacancies for the EFA Board, as per Rule 10 of the EFA Rules of Incorporation. The following candidates are…

    READ MORE »

  • Call for Nominations to Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc. Board

    Date of Issue: 04 October 2024 EFA members are invited to nominate for election to the Board. As per Rule 10.4 of the EFA Rules of Incorporation , there will be five vacant Board seats at the AGM. Nominations from new members (that join before the close of nominations) are acceptable, and nominations from people belonging to groups that may be currently under-represented on the Board are particularly encouraged. EFA…

    READ MORE »

  • Electronic Frontiers Australia Demands Urgent Privacy Reform

    Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) acknowledges the initial privacy reforms tabled today by the Attorney General but strongly urges more immediate, decisive, and comprehensive action to bring Australia’s privacy laws into the 21st century and to shine a bright light on our surveillance-based data-extraction digital economy. While the long-awaited and passionately fought-for proposed statutory tort and children’s code are potentially positive steps, Australia remains far behind other nations in terms of…

    READ MORE »

  • SA Social Media Ban

    South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has looked at what eSafety are doing — including getting into stupid fights with Musk — and decided to make a big show of telling social media platforms to do what they’re doing anyway. This is already a won battle. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the U.S. sets 13 as the age below which parental consent is required for the collection of…

    READ MORE »

  • Supporting Families, Protecting Privacy: Why a Social Media Ban Misses the Mark

    Electronic Frontiers Australia (‘EFA’) believes the Prime Minister’s proposed bill to ban young people from social media is a tactic to pave the way for unpopular Digital ID for adults. The default minimum age for social media platforms is already 13 to comply with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits the collection of personal information from individuals under this age without parental consent. “Albo is like…

    READ MORE »

What We Do

Policy

We actively monitor a number of policy areas and specific issues. The topics below provide a detailed view of EFA’s policy positions.

Copyright

Australia’s copyright laws are outdated, inflexible and not fit for the digital age. As such, EFA is a long-standing supporter of reform of Australia’s Copyright Act.

Privacy & Security

Privacy is fundamentally about consent and control over access to information, and goes hand-in-hand with security. Privacy is a human right.

Censorship

Adults should be able to make their own informed decisions about what content they create and consume.

Encryption

Access to encryption technologies is vital for individuals and groups to be able to safeguard the security and privacy of their information.

Internet Safety

Surveillance is not safety. Safety for whom, against what? This complex problem is more likely to be exacerbated, rather than solved, by measures that allow for unaccountable surveillance and the undermining of communications security.

Surveillance

EFA is committed to ensuring that Australian’s home life is not subject to arbitrary interference.