The democratic obligation to repeal authoritarian laws
A society’s norms can shift fast. In the last decade, compulsory metadata retention for broad surveillance purposes has gone from a controversy to a scandal, to a fact of Australian life, to an insufficient power that needs to be augmented by yet more invasive ones. Military control over cryptography and other exports has gone from […]
The Critical Infrastructure Bill is electronic search and seizure without a warrant
By Vanessa Teague Everyone agrees that the threat of cyberattack is serious, the results could be devastating, and Australia is woefully underprepared. The question is whether forced “assistance” from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), under orders from Home Affairs, will make us more or less secure. Critical infrastructure is not just dams and power plants — […]
Signal Is A Good Start, But Beware
Everyone who has been a long time Signal user has been getting a bunch of notifications recently to let them know that [insert random contact here] has recently joined Signal. It’s all part of the recent exodus to Signal from Whatsapp after it was revealed that Whatsapp is going to start sharing data with Facebook […]
Open Rights Group: The London Attacks
Open Rights Group condemns the appalling attack at London Bridge; this is not only a violent assault on individual lives but an attack against the freedom and security we enjoy in the UK. It is disappointing that in the aftermath of this attack, the Government’s response appears to focus on the regulation of the Internet […]
The Future of Ransomware
Ransomware isn’t new, but it’s increasingly popular and profitable. The concept is simple: Your computer gets infected with a virus that encrypts your files until you pay a ransom. It’s extortion taken to its networked extreme. The criminals provide step-by-step instructions on how to pay, sometimes even offering a help line for victims unsure how […]