Crypto laws

Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat started the topic in Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 8:07am

As an average guy who isn't reeeeaaaaalllyy overly tech savvy but does have concerns about online security, what does the proposed watering down of cryptography that the government are talking about mean to me? Is it something to be concerned about?

Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 8:10am
Tinfoil hat wrote:

As an average guy who isn't reeeeaaaaalllyy overly tech savvy but does have concerns about online security, what does the proposed watering down of cryptography that the government are talking about mean to me? Is it something to be concerned about?

sypkan's picture
sypkan's picture
sypkan Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 10:08am

Any law to reign in that big unruly beast can only be an improvement

But then again, too much online security makes for a boring world and gives people a false sense of security.

Are we talking about the same thing?

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 10:28am

Number one crypto law is no eggs before bedtime
Number two is barrel dodge blax
Number three is is always be running off to train someone... again!

Gary G's picture
Gary G's picture
Gary G Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 10:58am

Number four crypto law is be so full of truth bombs that you never repeat yourself
Number five crypto law is be so full of truth bombs that you never repeat yourself
Number six crypto law is be so full of truth bombs that you never repeat yourself
Number seven crypto law is be so full of truth bombs that you never repeat yourself

in a nutshell...

Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 12:46pm

Well yea I am not very sure what to make of it all Skypan. Encryption is pretty much the cornerstone of online security and if it is weakened or “backdoor” features are forced by government then it could have some very serious consequences to secure online banking, medical records etc. I guess that’s the worst case scenario but of course on the other hand if encrypted traffic between people on the other side of the law, terrorists, drug dealers etc could be unencrypted and looked at by law enforcement then I guess that is a good thing. It is hard to know where the truth lies when you have a whole heap of people saying they watering down encryption is a very bad idea on one hand and then on the other the government is saying that it’s all good and not to worry. Either way it looks as though they are trying to rush something through parliament pretty much today. It feels to me like a big issue to ram through at a million miles an hour. There is a good podcast on the ABC website called “tell me straight” and there is an episode called “what is encryption?” That I thought was a good listen for a person who does not really have a good understanding of what encryption actually is and how it protects your communication online pretty much every day. There is probably even some sort of encryption associated with this very site for those who have provided details for a premo account, which I’m sure, by the way, is completely 100% safe! If I was not the non tech savvy person as described in the original post, I’d put up a link to it but I don’t know how! A worthy listen if you have the time. Have a good day Swellnetters. Maybe I should just go for a wave and not worry about all this shit!

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 2:33pm

The question is really do you trust the government to keep the decryption keys secret and not have them leak out into the criminal and corporate worlds which would mean NO transactions of any kind were safe. The answer to that is pretty easy, absolutely not!

eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies's picture
eat-your-vegies Thursday, 6 Dec 2018 at 9:34pm

Yep
Deselect your medical records now

Optimist's picture
Optimist's picture
Optimist Friday, 7 Dec 2018 at 5:31am

I think the Govt has to request the info from the telcos still and have good reason,so probably not a big deal for normal Aussies. Its interesting that Mehreen Faruqi the Muslim Greens senator, is complaining that she has been inundated with calls from Muslims wondering what the extent and effect decryption will have on them. Sounds like the Govt is rattling some ones cage.

Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat Friday, 7 Dec 2018 at 9:30pm

Ok well hopefully no racist undertones intended there.

Looks as though something passed through yesterday, details unclear. Hopefully just an alarmist storm in a tea cup but I guess we'll see!

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 8 Dec 2018 at 10:56am

Tinfoil hat : Passing the bill as Goodwill Xmas gesture was the plan...until....
Govt backdoored 167 amendments on the final morning,more come smoko.
Labor said shove it you creeps.
Cybernaut 2nd wave invasion planned for next year.

Promo gets his secret santa gift...(What might that be you ask?)
Open sillyseason on demonizing Shorten for not saving Xmas.

* Your imaginary chimney goes missing on Xmas eve.
* Xmas gift goes awol from your tracker on the home straight...

"There's your Boogie man!"... "Shame! Shame on the people smuggler!"

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/phone-encryption-legislatio...

Credit to Swellnetonian who coined Promo...Never a truer word ! (classic)

wesley's picture
wesley's picture
wesley Saturday, 8 Dec 2018 at 11:32am

Sneaky fookers

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 8 Dec 2018 at 12:07pm

Government Cyber Passwords need changing not Cyber Laws.
Many here feel vulnerable for good reason.

(Cyber Privacy!)
All citizens have financial ties to Govt be it Transit/Health/Resource/Tax/Welfare.
#1 Government Cyber Law that enshrines all is "Protection of Public Revenue."

This allows any/every third party access to govt files to recover any owed monies.
It also allows Govt to cross reference non bill payers then bump client onto cards.
Indue Welfare Cards funnel all transactions thru Lib Donor franchises back to Libs .
As stated above...Whole nation is in arrears to Govt so Lib card rort is next level.
https://theaimn.com/lnp-welfare-card-true-facts-exposed-corruption-disgu...

(Cyber Security)
Top secret Passwords that are so stupid they mock our whole Cyber Security.
Not terrorists but intergovernmental passwords are responsible of 81% of hacks.
Be rare to find a government site that hasn't been hacked...Here's how...
Top Secret Government Passwords active for 10 years or more.
*Password = [Password]
*Password = [ABCD 1234]
Yes! Popular variation on a theme of both went high tech... [Password 123]

I think one of those might be mine!

2016-17 Top secret Defence Plans of Top Gun fleets were open for all ages.
This required daring codebreaking skills of all the nerds combined. (Impossible!)
Here's how they cracked our Australian Defence code...
*Admin Password = [Admin]
*Guest Password = [Guest]
You all want me to say those TV Computer nerd password jokes simply aren't true?

Crypto security is useless for Australian Defence.
Australian Defence like all will post air raid shelters on Facebook [Subscribe or die]

sypkan's picture
sypkan's picture
sypkan Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 9:58am

"...This week Labor passed the government’s encryption bill without all of its amendments despite ALP member after member telling us it was a bad bill with huge problems due to a rushed process that needed to be fixed at a later date (notably, not one government MP other than the minister responsible spoke in favour of it).

It means, according to the president of the Law Council of Australia (not a particularly radical organisation), that we “have a situation where unprecedented powers to access encrypted communications are now law, even though parliament knows serious problems exist.”"

Wishy washy willy playing politics over principle. Never turns out well... some of mals big moves spring to mind...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2018/dec/09/just-dont-s...

"...Then Shorten on Thursday appeared on ABC’s 730, treading a very cautious line on carbon pricing.

He didn’t quite say there will be no carbon price under a government he leads, but when asked if he would put a price on carbon he answered “no, what we’re going to do is prioritise”.

The problem is the ALP, much like the government, has become far too focused on reducing only electricity emissions, when the latest figures show that the big work to be done is with stationary energy, fugitive emissions, transport and agriculture – areas that need more than just a “hey, isn’t renewable energy great” policy."

Labor should've found some balls months ago, regarding a leader mainly, but really they needed to on a heap of issues. Too late now. Looks like we're officially locked into a labourous term of lingering Labor lameness.

Another one!

" ..Anyone who knows anything about those in the ALP and its supporters knows they are not cocky but having conversations like: “We couldn’t stuff this up couldn’t we? What if we lose? Oh God, we could still lose. Will this policy/speech/interview/tweet cause us to lose?”

What a way to live....and govern!

Gaawwwd help us

And all that from greg jericho and the guardian no less.

"Win the election, don’t just try not to lose it."

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 9:56am

RE encryption laws. Early in the week, Labor prudently brushed off Morrisson's craven call for a conscience vote, a tactic to rush the descision when comprehensive analysis is what was required - this is new territory after all, so every outcome has to be fully explored.

For a day or so it appeared we'd get the debate we needed until Labor acquiesed with Libs counting down the clock till parliament adjourned for the year.

If a terror attack were to occur during the summer break, even if it had nothing to do with encryption, the Liberals and their propaganda wing would have a field day. How many different version of "Shorten's terrorists"' would you read in the Murdoch press?

sypkan's picture
sypkan's picture
sypkan Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 10:15am

"...RE encryption laws. Early in the week, Labor prudently brushed off Morrisson's craven call for a conscience vote, a tactic to rush the descision when comprehensive analysis is what was required - this is new territory after all, so every outcome has to be fully explored."

" - this is new territory after all, so every outcome has to be fully explored"

Exactly! Which is exactly why labor shouldn't have folded.

Yes Morriston was playing politics, but sometimes you've gotta play the game. Walking away and folding from such an important change to laws, because...well....errr...., because you're lame, is a lose lose situation...

in the long term..

Just ask mal

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 10:12am

Disagree.

If an attack occurred - big if, but still - then everything they've worked for over the last however many years goes up in smoke.

They'll have four more years of staying true to their principles, but it doesn't mean shit from opposition.

The smart money says play politics, win the election, then revisit the legislation with time to spare and a majority for comfort.

sypkan's picture
sypkan's picture
sypkan Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 10:24am

A big 'if' indeed.

As I said....what a way to live your life...

Yeh I can see the logic behind the move, but relying on retro changing that legislation could be a disaster.

A disaster for the people that is.

A government of either colours won't give a shit. It gives them more power.

yorkessurfer's picture
yorkessurfer's picture
yorkessurfer Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 1:50pm

Even if there was a potential for a terrorist incident over the summer months, that would of been enough to send Morrison and the Murdoch media sycophants into a slow news Xmas holiday front page frenzy.

Labor would of been hammered for the mere hint that blocking the encryption laws could of enabled any would be terrorist attack.

Look at that Sri Lankan student a few months ago who was accused of planning an attack on then PM Malcolm Turnbull and deputy Julie Bishop.

Turned out it was all bullshit and he was setup by a work colleague, the brother of an Australian Test cricketer, who was competing for the interest of a girl.

But as the Sri Lankan guys name was Mohammad I’m sure the AFP and their political minders could sense an opportunity and believed the accusers story without question.

The poor fucker spent over a month in Goulburn SuperMax prison in solitary confinement before being released with somewhat less media hysteria then when he was thrown in there.

He has abandoned his studies and has returned to Sri Lanka, his life’s dreams in ruin.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6292729/Police-drop-charges-aga...

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 2:00pm

Interesting Stu, the only problem is that the various authorities given the power have several months to stuff it up. And if you want an example of just how irresponsible police can be look at the lawyer X fiasco in Victoria. A single leak could give, not only terrorists, but every criminal hacker in the world a field day. Sad day when both sides are prepared to play politics with security so that neither can blame the other if the excrement hits the rapidly rotating blades.

sypkan's picture
sypkan's picture
sypkan Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 9:53pm

I don't dispute any of the smart move playing politics of it. I just think it's a pretty miserable way to play the game. Presupposing a terrorist attack.

Especially with something so important. Jo blo doesn't have a clue what's going on with these crypto laws, but neither does the government. Both sides of government that is.

It's pretty obvious after this and the my health record disaster they don't have a clue what they're doing. Pretty much everyone's records to everything, and the answer is 'we'll sort it out later...'

the technology is befudddling the experts now.

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 11:11pm

Closed 5 eye's 3rd eye blind Oz will rent out underworld trapdoor to highest bidder.
Nothing short of opening the gates to Hell for the good, bad & ugly!

11th hour twist Labor said that despite it's reservations it would pass the bill in the Senate...('on the proviso') that the 'Coalition agreed to it's Amendments' next year!

'The Interim Bill' or 'Supply Bill' if you like is active during the Parliamentary Break...
'Revisited Bill' can still be voted down if Labor's Amendments aren't agreed to.
The inside word by big wigs is that Crypto haunts election campaign.

Huh! Now he's just talking Bullshit...Nope! Crazy as it sounds...
Let Labor explain how this caper smells more with each poke of the stick.

Labor believes that once an election is called for early in May,as expected,then.... Parliament will only sit for 10 days in the first 8 months of 2019.(You heard right!)

Note: This Laziest ever Fed's 'sleeping in' Calendar was passed by 1 vote on Tues.
100's of last hour Crypto amendments have Labor backpedaling into 2019 election.
Politics! Stinking rotten dirty lousy Politics!

Crypto sounds more like mission impossible than a done deal.(Watch this space!)

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Sunday, 9 Dec 2018 at 11:14pm

Here's next years sitting/lounging Calendar from above comment....
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-28/2019-parliamentary-sitting-calend...

Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat's picture
Tinfoil hat Monday, 10 Dec 2018 at 9:01am

Yea it's sad that the government fucked around for hours filibustering the refugee evacuation bill in the senate cause they didn't want it to go to the house of reps before it was dissolved for the year. Phelps from Wentworth was a big mover and shaker behind that bill and she'll be up against the Lib candidate Sharma in next years election. Losing Wentworth was embarrassing enough for the Libs (not to mention the glorious ass whooping they copped in Vic!) they don't want to lose it again, especially to someone who was instrumental in hopefully getting the refugee evac bill up which the Libs do not want. All this waffling and running down the clock meant there was no time to even begin to pull apart the whole encryption thing and have a good look at it. All shorten could do was agree (with amendments to be included first thing next year -We'll see) otherwise if anything did go wrong over the parliamentary break, Labor would have been blamed for the lot.

Playing politics. Fucking assholes. How about looking after us?

TBB - rent out the backdoor to the highest bidder? Wikileaks has shown that the US certainly made use of various internet laws in other countries to spy on their citizens. Internet traffic etc from the whole country gathered and trawled through. In volumes incomprehensible to your average shmuck. Google much the same and Facebooks data mining is just plain fucking creepy as fuck.

The days of train robbers and bank stick ups are long gone. Internet crime is a massive growing industry and there are some exceptionally smart fuckers snooping around 24/7 looking for ways to make money of poor internet security. Weakening encryption will not slow this down.

Think about how strong your passwords are. Use a VPN. Consider changing your internet browser from fucking Google to DuckDuckGo. It's on your choice of browsers you can pick in your iPhone settings.

But what the fuck would I know? I'm just passing on the glimpses of the world I see from under my tinfoil hat.

Happy Monday Swellnetters, not long now till a few days off with family and the Boxing Day test!