Intelligence agency head urges big tech compliance

Australia’s top spy yesterday urged greater cooperation from big tech companies, asking them to provide access to encrypted messages.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Michael Burgess said encrypted messaging had compromised the ability to root out threats and that tech companies had a duty to break encryption when asked.

“Without their help in very limited and strictly controlled circumstances, encryption is unaccountable,” Burgess said.

Many tech platforms pride themselves on the ability to guarantee privacy through encrypted messaging channels and providing access to law enforcement has long been seen as off-limits.

Companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft have rebuffed similar calls, labelling them a threat to cybersecurity and user privacy.

“Encryption is clearly a good thing, a positive for our democracy and our economy,” Burgess said.

However, “it also protects terrorists and spies, saboteurs and abhorrent criminals,” he said.

“I’m asking, urging, the tech companies to work with us to resolve this challenge. I’m not asking for new laws. I’m not asking for new powers. I’m asking for the tech companies to do more,” he added.

Burgess said that intelligence agencies were investigating a “racist extremist network” using encrypted messaging, adding that groups were “sharing vile propaganda, posting tips about homemade weapons and discussing how to provoke a race war.”

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw singled out Meta, which has been rolling out end-to-end encryption for Facebook and Facebook Messenger.

End-to-end encryption stops law enforcement from intercepting messages, meaning only the sender and recipient are able to read their contents.

Kershaw said this would severely hamper investigations, calling the lack of cooperation with authorities “a disgrace.”