Governments want your encrypted data, Australia wants them to have it, and you should be worried

The idea of encrypted messages is that other people can’t read them. Now, Australia is considering a law that would circumvent that privacy and give law enforcement direct access to those messages — without the consent of the sender. This legislation comes after the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.S., and the U.K., released a statement calling for government access to encrypted files on the basis of national security and crime prevention. That document includessuch reassuring lines as “privacy is not absolute” and an open threat for enforcement of getting access to encrypted data if companies don’t comply. -- More...