Encryption Laws

In December 2018, the federal Parliament enacted legislation that allows Australia's police and intelligence agencies to require technical assistance from 'designated communications providers'. The title of this legislation is the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (Cth).

These laws are commonly called the 'encryption laws' in the media, as they are designed to force multinational tech companies like Apple, Google and Facebook to decrypt secret communications and unlock personal devices. It is a known problem that terrorist organisations use encrypted messaging services - like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal - to conceal their activities and plan violent attacks. Even a simple iPhone passcode can thwart an agency's efforts if they cannot unlock a suspect's device.

1. What concerns did different companies and organisations raise in their submissions to the PJCIS inquiry?
2. How valid are these concerns, and how urgently should the federal government address them?