Australia’s spies and cops want ‘accountable encryption’ - aka access to backdoors

Australia’s ASIO chief and the Federal Police commissioner used a National Press Club appearance to call on tech companies to better support lawful access to encrypted communications, arguing for “accountable encryption” to aid counter-terrorism and child exploitation investigations. They warned that AI, while beneficial, is being leveraged by extremists for weapon guidance and could accelerate radicalization and disinformation, noting ASIO already employs AI to enhance intelligence analysis. The remarks occur amid broader debates over content takedowns and platform responsibility.