In an op-ed for The Hill, Satyajeet Marar reports on the growing alliance among tech companies, startups and digital consumer rights groups, all opposing the Australian government’s proposed anti-data encryption law. While critics argue the bill would force tech companies to weaken the protections of encryption by creating a “backdoor” into their products and services, the Australian government maintains such measures are necessary to combat terrorism and human trafficking. Marar writes this bill will be watched closely by world powers, including the Five Eyes Intelligence Network, who have long requested such measures be available to enforcement agencies. Marar adds, the bill “sets a sinister precedent for dictatorships and illiberal surveillance state regimes … where millions rely on encryption to carry on any semblance of a normal civilian life.”
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