ASIO director-general Mike Burgess issues warning to big tech companies they may soon be forced to unlock encrypted chats

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Mike Burgess News

ASIO,National Security,Encrypted Chat

ASIO boss Mike Burgess says he may soon use powers to compel tech companies to cooperate with warrants and unlock encrypted chats to aid in national security investigations.

ASIO may start forcing technology companies to provide access to encrypted chats during certain security investigations.

Mr Burgess said ASIO is seeking targeted access to chat rooms hosted on encrypted platforms – which are increasingly used by bad actors to hide their communications."If they don't cooperate, then there's a private conversation I need to have with government about what we accept or what I need to do my job more effectively."

Mr Burgess wouldn't comment on whether he had exercised that power in the past 12 months, but told 7.30: "It's something I'm considering doing.""I've had a few companies come and talk to me since that time. Which is good. I'll leave those conversations in private. Some of them are good. I might be about to have a difficult conversation, but we'll do that in private as well.

"If there are suspicions, or we've got proof that we can justify you're doing something wrong and you must be investigated, then actually we want lawful access to that data." Even when legislation fails to bite, ASIO still has ways to crack open secret conversations but Mr Burgess says that's a slower, more costly process.

 

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