The police believe that the three men who were arrested and charged with being part of a terrorist plot used encryption to protect their communication from prying eyes.
As a result, a parliamentary committee has been formed with the aim of examing laws that would allow police to break through encryption.
This has caused the reaction of advocacy groups who fear the impact such a law would have to the privacy of everyday Australians.
Digital Rights Watch is a charity dedicated to upholding and protecting the digital rights of Australians. The organization’s chairman, Tim Singleton Norton, believes that the government has not fully considered the implications of such a decision, as it could possibly serve as a pathway to criminals who steal data.
"The problem is that when you break encryption for one, you break it for everyone. So we have a massive problem here about the idea of giving police a power that will create 'back doors', that will create access for anyone to break encryption protocols. And we use these everywhere. We use them in our communications, we use them in our banking, in our everyday lives, in the devices that sit in our pockets."))
In addition, there is also the question of whether such a legislation would be effective in the first place. Nigel Phair is a former head of the Australian Federal Police's High-Tech Crime Centre. Mr Phair points out that criminals do not rely solely on encryption. They also use methods such as code words to cover their tracks.
Labour is not necessarily against the government’s plan, but argues that the laws need a more thorough examination.
