Australia to Make Encryption Cracking for Authorities The Law

[engine]

Australia has taken the step towards making encryption-cracking by the authorities a law.
That's quite a step forward, and will present the tech companies with challenges of their own to be able to "hack in."

In December 2016, the U.K. Parliament agreed to the Investigatory Powers Act, allowing security agencies with a warrant to hack into computers, but stopping short of mandating back doors.

Australia’s proposal builds on that approach, tech firms and experts say, because tech firms could be required to develop new tools to circumvent security and crack passwords if necessary. The legislation is expected to pass Thursday after the ruling conservative government agreed to a compromise with the main opposition Labor Party to limit the bill’s powers to only the most serious offenses, such as terror plots.

[wsj.com...]

[graeme_p]

So what about end to end encryption? How will they enforce this on foreign software and servers - block all downloads?

This is about as realistic as you would expect from a government whose prime minister said, with regard to the practicalities of this, that "The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia."

[engine]

They can pass the law, but how the cracking goes, IDK.