Apple has filed its formal
opposition to a new bill currently being
proposed by the Australian government that critics say would weaken encryption. If it passes, the "Assistance and Access Bill 2018" would create a new type of
warrant that would allow what governments often call "lawful access" to thwart encryption, something that the former
Australian attorney general proposed last year.
The California company said in a filing provided to reporters on Friday that the proposal was flawed. This is no time to weaken encryption," the company wrote. "There is profound risk of making criminals’ jobs easier, not harder. Increasingly stronger—not weaker—encryption is the best way to protect against these threats." Apple took direct aim at what American authorities have called the "going dark" problem—the notion that strong encryption makes it far too difficult for law enforcement to access hardened devices. The Department of Justice and the FBI have pushed for something similar for decades to no avail—no specific legislation has been put forward in the United States since the
failed "Clipper Chip" proposal during the Clinton administration. However, high-ranking DOJ and FBI officials during both the Obama and Trump administrations have continued to lambast this issue.