ASIO wants better access to encrypted chats. 

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has warned tech companies they may soon be forced to unlock encrypted chats during security investigations. 

He says companies should cooperate when law enforcement has a warrant to access encrypted messages, which are often used by criminals to hide their activities.

“If you actually break the law or you're a threat to security, you lose your right to privacy,” Burgess said in a recent interview. 

Australia passed a law in 2018 allowing authorities to compel companies to provide access to encrypted messages if they do not cooperate voluntarily. Although Burgess declined to say if these powers had been used recently, he confirmed it is being considered.

He said ASIO is asking for targeted access to certain communications, not mass surveillance. 

“We need their cooperation,” he added.

Tech companies, including Signal, have expressed concerns that creating “backdoors” for authorities could weaken privacy and allow malicious actors to exploit the system. 

Burgess insists that law enforcement access can be designed in a secure way without compromising encryption.

ASIO is meeting with tech firms to discuss these issues. While current methods like hacking can access encrypted messages, Burgess said they are expensive and inefficient. 

More details are accessible here.

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