Cybersecurity
Australia Passes Law Targeting WhatsApp and Signal
- Technology giants lobbied against anti-encryption legislation
- Government says enforcement needed to foil terrorist attacks
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Australia’s parliament passed some of the world’s toughest anti-encryption legislation Thursday, installing a bill that seeks to force Facebook Inc. and other tech giants to help decode messages used in terrorism and organized crime.
Under new powers to be given to police and intelligence agencies, companies may be required to help decrypt communications on platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, and even insert code to help capture data.