Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #aabill
Most recents (17)
We've put together a 🧵THREAD🧵 about the proposed Online Safety Bill. Our concerns range from privacy and safety, to enforcement and moral policing.
We have included how to learn more and how to fight back at the end of this thread (1/27)
We have included how to learn more and how to fight back at the end of this thread (1/27)
In Dec 2020, the E-Safety commissioner released an exposure draft of their proposed Online Safety Bill, a piece of legislation that attempts to improve and promote online safety for Australians.
ICYMI, the E-Safety commissioner has various functions, but primarily to:
- promote online safety for Australians
- administrate the online content scheme
- to advise the Minister about online safety for Australians
- The full list of functions is here: esafety.gov.au/about-us/who-w…
- promote online safety for Australians
- administrate the online content scheme
- to advise the Minister about online safety for Australians
- The full list of functions is here: esafety.gov.au/about-us/who-w…
What fascinates* me about comments like this is that the Assistance & Access Act has nothing to do with where the hosting is, and everything to do with whether a communication is to or from Australia. Just having customers in Australia triggers the Act. #aabill
I know some people choke at reading 1200 whole words, some of them long, but we spent some time putting some facts into this one: “What’s actually in Australia’s encryption laws? Everything you need to know” (10 Dec 2018) zdnet.com/article/whats-… #aabill
It’s also amusing* that Lemieux’s tweet says “‘if” the law passes. The Assistance & Access Act was passed on 6 December. It’s been law for nearly four months, and is already being used. #aabill
1/ A word on the #AAbill and #encryption more broadly, as it has been flying around a bit today.
Let me be really clear: These powers have been used already - that is, encryption has been requested to be broken #Auspol
Let me be really clear: These powers have been used already - that is, encryption has been requested to be broken #Auspol
2/ This was disclosed by Dept of Home Affairs by citing their submission to the PJCIS, but we'll never know who. Anyone who wants to speak about it is risking jail time under the act #AAbill #encryption #Auspol
3/ It's Home Affairs, Peter Dutton and "we stopped the boats" all over again.
Did they? We'll never know. It's unprecedented new powers and an operational secret #AAbill #encryption #Auspol
Did they? We'll never know. It's unprecedented new powers and an operational secret #AAbill #encryption #Auspol
Serious question to journalists? 'retiree tax' & 'housing tax' are Liberal campaign slogans. Not actual 'things' at all?
Below says "attack". So what should be reported?
Woohoo! An 'attack slogan' is successful, go you good thing?
Or
"attack slogan" misleading voters?
Below says "attack". So what should be reported?
Woohoo! An 'attack slogan' is successful, go you good thing?
Or
"attack slogan" misleading voters?
I'm not asking this to have a go at Bevan, just the priority when it comes to journalism?
Importance of marketing success of campaign
vs
Importance of correctly informing the public as to what they need to know?
Thinking of Trump success? Would think 'reality' more important?
Importance of marketing success of campaign
vs
Importance of correctly informing the public as to what they need to know?
Thinking of Trump success? Would think 'reality' more important?
We see many journo's in the states lament they did not take Trump seriously and are now facing the consequences of reporting just the 'marketing' and 'campaign interest' angle.
National leadership is a serious issue, really deserves serious reporting imo.
National leadership is a serious issue, really deserves serious reporting imo.
#lca2019 @attacus_au on the non-consensual use of public tech use, and how to be evade it.
spoiler: reality is already scarier than scifi.
this is a live system adding metadata - pants vs skirt, direction of travel - of pedestrians
spoiler: reality is already scarier than scifi.
this is a live system adding metadata - pants vs skirt, direction of travel - of pedestrians
@attacus_au #lca2019 @attacus_au this chinese system matches faces to ones it knows, at a public escalator - v high accuracy, e.g. people travel the same way to work
@attacus_au #lca2019 @attacus_au researcher joy buolomwini found her face wasn’t picked up by face classifiers due to her dark skin, so tested a few algorithms. high accuracy: M presenting light skin, low accuracy F presenting dark skin.
1/ Ok, well it's time to lay out my biggest concerns on #aabill. IANAL, but I'm a technologist, entrepreneur, and investor. Please get your own legal advice - keeping in mind much of this will be an expensive fight in the courts...
2/ Scope of the crimes. The #aabill covers crimes of 3+ years state, federal, **and foreign**. Yes, you can get 5 to 10 years jail for refusing to comply with #aabill... for a 3-year crime. Indeed, you can be targeted by #aabill for breaking #aabill.
3/ Scope of the "Designated Communications Provider." People seem to think this only covers messaging. It's much broader than that, covering most software, hardware, and networking. It includes software updates. Yes, an individual can be a DCP.
(Reasonably) educated thread about the options global companies like Apple have going forward now the #aaBill will happen in Australia.
I’ll start with my assumptions then explain their options #Auspol
I’ll start with my assumptions then explain their options #Auspol
Assumptions:
1. Company will not compromise its core business strategy. Eg: for Apple this is sell devices/storage that are guaranteed to be secure. To point they won’t let the FBI in.
1. Company will not compromise its core business strategy. Eg: for Apple this is sell devices/storage that are guaranteed to be secure. To point they won’t let the FBI in.
2. If you sell a product in Australia that is *same* as your global product then any engineered vulnerabilities* will impact global product.
*Australia doesn’t want to use term “back door” so let’s call it malware.
*Australia doesn’t want to use term “back door” so let’s call it malware.
No, not really. Not at all. I’ve seen quite a few tweets linking to this story. The Assistance & Access Bill certainly has problems, yes, but the way it’s characterised here is way off mark. In two key ways, I think... #aabill
First, it’s not “do whatever else it takes to decrypt subjects’ messages”. There’s a slab of stuff about having to be “reasonable, proportionate, practicable, and technically feasible”, and considering the likely business impact on the provider and wider public interests. #aabill
Obviously how that would pan out in practice remains to be seen, so expect some lively legal action for that! #aabill
They passed that fucking #AABill anti-encryption law.
We're all fucked.
Why?
Here's a great example: some bright fuckwit at Police HQ thinks
"🤔 Hmm I need to see that person's bank transactions because they might, maybe, possibly a terrorist! (actually I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)...
We're all fucked.
Why?
Here's a great example: some bright fuckwit at Police HQ thinks
"🤔 Hmm I need to see that person's bank transactions because they might, maybe, possibly a terrorist! (actually I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)...
Hey, Bank; you must insert a back door so I can access their accounts. And you can't tell anyone."
Now there's a huge gaping fucking hole in the fence around our online banking for anyone (not just Fuckwit Policeman #1) to gain access to our bank accounts.
Now there's a huge gaping fucking hole in the fence around our online banking for anyone (not just Fuckwit Policeman #1) to gain access to our bank accounts.
Here's another one: some bright spark is inevitably going to ask Apple to make a back door into their iPhones.
If you’re just tuning in to #auspol, let me catch you up on the high-stakes poker game the Govt and Opp have going here:
THREAD:
THREAD:
Coalition has a choice: prevent Labor & x-bench amended bill that would get #kidsoffnauru from reaching the Reps for a vote (which it would likely lose) – but in doing so also prevent final passage of #aabill (#encryption).
At the moment, parliamentary procedures are being used in Senate by Coalition, Bernardi & Hanson to delay getting to point where #kidsoffnauru amendments are voted on. Some filibustering going on, though Senate President is trying to curtail it.
Ok. A third thread updating where things are at on the #aabill...
Since my last thread, the government came back to the negotiating table in the PJCIS and agreed to a series of amendments to the bill designed to prevent the issuance of Technical Capability Notices that could undermine strong encryption.
These amendments have been intensely negotiated with the government in a process that has been far from ideal, which is why Labor also secured agreement to continue scrutiny of the Bill through the PJCIS into 2019 and via the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.
I've been talking to/listening to a lot of very smart tech people tonight, about #AAbill. Without exception, they are all furious, horrified, scared, or all three. Genuine fears this could hobble Aus tech industry, and surveillance used for far more than just serious crime
As a starting point, read @dobes clear explainer on what's going on and what the bill could mean zdnet.com/article/hasty-…
Second, the claimed need to rush this through before Christmas is a moot point - it will take more than a month for anything to even change, and that's taking for granted that tech companies will agree to do so
The amendments recommended from the committee in regards to the #aaBill are not sufficient and should be not be passed, When the government and @AustralianLabor have failed to tell the public why there is the immediate need for this bill. I am strongly worried.
That the passage of this bill will have grave consequences for the industry and all industries that rely on technology, given that evidence provided showed that...
1) Applications expected to be targeted such as WhatsApp are not under Australian jurisdiction and 2) Encryption used such as End-To-End encryption CAN NOT BE BROKEN WITH OUT WEAKENING THE ENCRYPTION ITS SELF OR BUILDING BACKDOORS that would threaten every Australian
I’ve been asked for some talking points for non-technical people (like MPs, fr’instance) to demonstrate why the #aabill is no good.
Here’s a thread with my top 5. Please plagiarise and re-mix to your heart’s content.
1 of 5
Here’s a thread with my top 5. Please plagiarise and re-mix to your heart’s content.
1 of 5
1: The bill is bad for security because encryption keeps us safe from criminals. This bill will make it easier for them to hack us.
2/6
2/6
2: * The bill is bad for jobs because software companies will choose not to work in Australia, as this bill is fundamentally incompatible with GDPR.
3/6
3/6
The #aabill is incredibly short-sighted & luddite. Even if the AU Gov. can coerce tech companies to backdoor encrypted messaging platforms, nothing's going to stop people from resorting to using free & opensource #crypto software like @GnuPG! #auspol bit.ly/2QbxUor 1/
Popular #crypto software is trusted because it's been written & vetted by members of a decentralized #opensource community which you can't coerce. If you want to make it illegal to possess @GnuPG in Australia because you can't backdoor it, then you'll kill the IT industry. 2/
Continuing this #AABill thread - Why is it so problematic that the Morrison Govt is trying to ram through this bill in order to start a fight to distract from its political woes?
Let's look at what have we learnt about the Bill in the PJCIS process so far
Let's look at what have we learnt about the Bill in the PJCIS process so far
As a pair technical experts from GCHQ rightly pointed out recently, “In any discussion of cyber security, details matter.”
lawfareblog.com/principles-mor…
lawfareblog.com/principles-mor…
This is a complex, nuanced area of policy making.
There are plenty of interventions the government could make here that could cause major damage to our national security and the health of our digital economy. senetas.com/why-we-depend-…
There are plenty of interventions the government could make here that could cause major damage to our national security and the health of our digital economy. senetas.com/why-we-depend-…
The Australian government has released the draft Assistance and Access Bill 2018, legislation intended to help law enforcement agencies bypass encrypted communications. homeaffairs.gov.au/about/consulta… I’ll live-tweet my reading of it in this thread. #aabill
The Bill is a messy 176 pages, because it amends a bunch of Acts. The Explanatory Document is 110 pages. There’s also an Industry Fact Sheet, a document about Limitations and Safeguards, and three documents about how the search warrants will work. Much joyous reading! #aabill
I’ll start with the Explanatory Document, because it explains (der!) what the legislation is meant to do, and points to the relevant bits in the Bill. It’s also less likely to make my brain explode. #aabill
