Australia is on the cusp of deciding whether to introduce legislation to facilitate law enforcement access to the contents of Australians’ encrypted messages, data and devices, by requiring that companies offering encryption services provide exceptional access, or through some other means.
Encryption technologies enable Internet users to protect the integrity and the confidentiality of their data and communications. From limiting the impact of data breaches, to securing financial transactions, to keeping messages private, encryption is an essential tool for digital security. As a technical foundation for trust on the Internet, encryption promotes commerce, privacy, and user trust, and helps protect data and communications from bad actors.
To highlight the issues concerning encryption and law enforcement access, Internet Australia and the Internet Society held an interactive in-depth dialogue with experts on encryption and digital security.
During the session, international and local experts from across the field discussed the technical aspects of encryption and digital security. They explained how encryption is used to secure communications and data, and explored its role in the Australian digital economy. Experts also discussed the risks associated with attempting to provide exceptional access to encrypted systems.
(16.30 – 17:00) Registration
Theatre Foyer
(17:00– 18:30) Experts Session on Encryption
Theatre
Welcome remarks by Keith Besgrove from Internet Australia
Encryption explained by Dr. Vanessa Teague from the University of Melbourne
Framing the encryption debate by Dr. Hal Abelson from MIT.
Conversation among the experts led by Christine Runnegar, Senior Director, Internet Society
- Hal Abelson, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, a fellow of the IEEE, and a founding director of Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation.
- Linus Chang, Director of Scram Software Pty Ltd, an Australian cloud security provider
- Mark Nottingham, engineer, member of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) HTTP and QUIC Working Groups.
- Vanessa Teague, cryptographer, University of Melbourne
- Martin Thomson, engineer at Mozilla, member of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), lead of the IAB Privacy and Security Program
- Peter Tonoli, Board member of Electronic Frontier Australia; Director; Internet Australia; and Senior Technical Fellow, Blueprint for Free Speech
Discussion, Q&A
(18:30 – 19.30) Cocktail Social
Queens Terrace Gallery
