Displaying items by tag: Reece Kershaw

ANALYSIS The Australian Federal Police appears to have provided the best possible argument for not passing federal bills that seek to enhance its powers, following the provision of details about using existing Australian encryption laws to read the encrypted messages of criminal gangs and take them down.

When the Federal Government issued a discussion paper in September last year indicating that it wanted to use the same as the basis for drafting a new cyber security strategy for 2020, it was quite clear that what was being looked at was a bigger role for the Australian Signals Directorate.

Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief executive Michael Phelan have both played down suggestions that the Australian Signals Directorate could be given expanded powers to carry out domestic surveillance in order to help track down people who are indulging in sexual abuse of children.