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Digital Security for Everyone

Posted on October 26, 2017 | in Tools and Guides

This guide is designed for beginners and non-technical people with the aim of increasing security across our whole community. The content is based on research, working with security experts and on the ground experience working with community activists and people who believe government and corporations do not have the right to spy on people by default.

Australia to face human rights scrutiny in week of UN Human Rights Council vote

Posted on October 16, 2017 | in Media releases

During the same week that Australia is expected to be granted a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, an expert UN Committee will grill the Australian Government over its own human rights record.

Attacks on encryption

Posted on October 14, 2017 | in Events , News

On Thursday the 5th of October the Crime and Justice Research Centre, in collaboration with civil society groups the Australian Privacy Foundation, Digital Rights Watch Australia and FutureWise, and industry partner ThoughtWorks, hosted an event on ‘Attacks on Encryption.’ This in response to the Australian Government’s intention to pursue new and increased powers to access encrypted communications via s’backdoors.’

Comprehensive national face database incompatible with a free society

Posted on October 6, 2017 | in Media releases

Australia’s leading privacy and civil liberties organisations condemn the decision by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to provide all images from state and territory driver’s licence databases to the federal National Facial Biometric Matching Capability.

Attorney General George Brandis declared "Villain" by Access Now for comments undermining encryption

Posted on October 5, 2017 | in Media releases , News

Today, Access Now recognized Australian Attorney General George Brandis as a Villain among the annual Heroes and Villains Award recipients for his comments in opposition to strong digital security tools like encryption. As a leading official representing Australia in the notorious “Five Eyes” partnership, Attorney General Brandis has pushed publicly for requirements for companies to implement measures to allow law enforcement to bypass encryption protections for exceptional access to digital content. This type of access has been repeatedly demonstrated to undermine digital security globally, including and especially for the users in marginalized communities.

Concerns over proposed plan for national facial recognition database

Posted on October 4, 2017 | in Media releases

Digital Rights Watch has expressed deep concerns over proposed plans that would require drivers license photographs to be included in a national facial recognition database.