Apple asks the Australian government not to require lower encryption for the iPhone



[ad_1]

Last August, the Australian government proposed a bill entitled "Bill 2018 amending and amending legislation (assistance and access)". The proposed legislation would update the country's telecommunications laws and oblige private sector companies to "provide increased assistance to agencies". This could force a company like Apple to create a backdoor in the iPhone. One of the problems with the bill is that the wording is not specific enough. Does "greater assistance" mean anything the government asks of a private sector company?

Apple responded by presenting a seven-page document to the Australian Parliament's Joint Intelligence and Security Committee. In the document, Apple is asking that the wording be clarified to understand the intention of the bill. The company also points out that the growing number of sophisticated criminal threats is precisely why it supports stronger encryption.

Apple claims to have helped Australian law enforcement by processing 26,000 requests for data over the last five years. As a result, the company does not recognize the need for weaker encryption to help police in Australia and extends its training program to law enforcement in the country. Apple says the proposed bill will weaken encryption and could force manufacturers to "incorporate systemic weaknesses into their products", due to "the breadth and vagueness of the authorities of the bill" and "ill-defined restrictions".

[ad_2]
Source link