An Open Letter to the Liberal and Labor Parties on encryption and privacy technologies
In January 2016 Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), along with the Australian Privacy Foundation, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, BluePrint for Free Speech and FutureWise wrote to Prime Minister Turnbull asking for his support for strong encryption and for his commitment to reject any law, policy or mandate that would undermine digital security. The response received […]
The FBI drops its case against Apple that only made everyone’s security worse
The FBI has succeeded in hacking into an iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook without Apple’s help. As a consequence, the FBI has dropped its legal case that was trying to force Apple to do what has been done by an unknown “third party”. Given the emotional investment by the FBI in […]
How sexting is creating a safe space for curious millennials
Millennials have become cyborgs. They exist far beyond biology and through a variety of technological devices which don’t function as external entities but as a platform and backdrop to their daily lives. They were born between 1980 and 2000, and are regarded by researchers as an open-minded, responsive and liberal generation who believe that “useful […]
Why you might want to become a Jedi Knight for this year’s Census
In the week before Christmas last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics quietly trashed your privacy. We have only a few months to claim it back. In December 2015, the ABS announced its plans to collect and keep the name and address of every person in Australia, starting with the August 2016 census. And to […]
The Next Front in the New Crypto Wars: WhatsApp
In a recent edition of the New York Times, Matt Apuzzo reports that the Department of Justice is locked in a “prolonged standoff” with WhatsApp. The government is frustrated by its lack of real-time access to messages protected by the company’s end-to-end encryption. The story may represent a disturbing preview of the next front in […]