Big tech must ‘do more’ to protect against national threats

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess says encryption protects terrorists, spies, saboteurs and "abhorrent criminals”. This comes amid the expansion of end-to-end encryption by tech companies in recent years and their plan to continue this in the future. Mr Burgess also acknowledged encryption as a “good thing” that “protects privacy”. “I am not calling for an end-to-end encryption ... I’m asking for the tech companies to do more," he added. “The gap In ASIO's ability to lawfully intercept the use of encrypted communications by terrorists and spies is such a concern, particularly in the current security environment. “I’m calling on big tech to establish lawful access solutions that can be applied in very tightly controlled and targeted situations.”