A law that will allow the federal government to spy on smartphone users through their apps has been labelled by Wagga tech specialists as ‘hasty and poorly planned’.
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The Assistance and Access Bill – or AA Bill as it’s become known – was one of the final recommendations made by federal parliament before breaking for the holiday period.
It is yet to be fully enacted, but it has prompted Wagga-based founder of AgriNet Dan Winson to question the need to make the decision so hurriedly.
“It’s poorly thought out and looks like it’s been rushed through,” said Mr Winson.
“It’s a very complex bill that’s been pushed through in just four days and there’s great scope for unintended consequences.”
Intended as a safety net against terror activity, the law will for the government to force employees to install a backdoor encryption point into apps without their boss’s knowledge.
But Wagga software developer, Dev Mukherjee questions the logistics of such a requirement.
“Any decent software company is wary of its own security, there are procedures in place to alert an employer if anyone installs something malicious like a backdoor entry,” said Mr Mukherjee.
Mr Mukherjee’s company, Anomaly, designs apps for use in local governments and the healthcare industry.
“We’re dealing with sensitive information, so if we can’t assure our clients that their information will be safe, where will we be?
“It’s always difficult to explain to our customers that we have processes that will keep their data safe. If it’s mandated by law, how can we convince them this won’t happen?”
Both Mr Winson and Mr Mukherjee agree that although the law stands to reduce user freedoms, the greatest impact will be felt toward the industry.
“Anything like this will mean the consumer will be watched and tracked, but unfortunately I don’t think a lot of consumers care about their privacy,” said Mr Winson.
“Most people voluntarily give up their privacy every day through the apps they use, but that doesn’t mean we should legally require them to. It doesn't mean we shouldn’t get the law right.”
The AA Bill allows for the government’s intelligence agencies to request a tracking encryption be added to any app where there is a perceivable risk of crimes being committed that carry the penalty of three or more years imprisonment.
But Mr Winson, in particular, is critical of this loose restriction.
“There needs to be more debate around the oversight required to enact the powers,” Mr Winson said.
“Crimes that can result in three-years jail, that’s a wide range. It’s not just terrorism or paedophilia, which I think most people would agree would warrant such usage, it’s a huge and far-reaching power.
“Most people, I think, would agree that there needs to be a balance between national security and personal privacy,” he said.