because they didn’t require cloud storage services, email or encrypted messaging services to detect child abuse material.
Rys Farthing, policy director at Reset Australia, says governments around the world are grappling with how to strike a balance between protecting children and respecting people’s right to privacy. But Farthing says Australia’s approach of trying to regulate it via initially industry-designed codes leaves much to be desired.
As those codes are developed, the tech platforms are also facing pressure from politicians to either refrain from offering end-to-end encrypted communications or to make them accessible to law enforcement.In parliamentary hearings on law enforcement’s response to child exploitation, Google, Meta and Twitter all faced questions about their encryption plans.
“Even if we are not able to see the content, there’s some pretty effective work we’ve been able to do to analyse the metadata based on the behaviour of the individuals involved.”