Apple criticizes Australian ‘anti-encryption law’

Apple is critical of an Australian bill that could require tech companies to provide assistance “in obtaining digital data.” According to Apple, the proposal is “so broad and vague” that in practice it could amount to mandatory backdoors.

Apple has sent a seven-page letter to the Australian Parliament explaining that in practice such extensive assistance in decrypting data can actually benefit a criminal more than a law enforcement officer. Encryption is “a critical line of defense against a criminal who wants to inject malware or spyware into a victim’s device in order to gain access to a company, public facility or government agency.”

According to Apple, the government has in the past expressed the intention to leave encryption intact, which gives the impression that there is a possibility that the bill, called the Access and Assistance Bill, will still be amended. At the same time, Australia is one of the Five Eyes countries that recently called on companies to voluntarily provide access to encrypted data.

However, the Australian government has explicitly asked for feedback from Apple, among others, when drawing up this proposal. To date, even several suggestions for improvements have been taken by those responsible, but Apple is not yet satisfied. It’s unclear whether encryption has been commented on and ignored during this previous feedback round or whether Apple is talking about it for the first time in this letter.

It’s not the first time Apple has championed encryption. Other companies protesting include Amnesty International, Google and Facebook.