Events – Australian Privacy Foundation

Report Launch: Securing Australian Journalism from Surveillance

Monique Mann — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 04:58:24 +0000

Drawing upon interviews with 19 journalists and 2 media lawyers, Dr Diarmaid Harkin and Dr Monique Mann report on how whistle-blowers and sources are more reluctant to cooperate with journalists. Journalists also express “very low confidence” that they are prepared for the threats of electronic surveillance and experience a general lack of support on crucial matters of cyber-security. The implications for press freedom, democracy, and law reform will be explored. Read More

Public Seminar to mark International Data Privacy Day 2021 (January 28th)

Liam Pomfret — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:43:32 +0000

International Data Privacy Day this year will mark the 40th Anniversary of Data Protection Convention 108 (recently “modernised” as Convention 108+). To celebrate this event, the Council of Europe will be hosting a 90 minute Asia-Pacific virtual regional seminar on January 28th, featuring a range of speakers from Asia-Pacific civil society, governmental bodies, and privacy regulators, and civil society, including the Australian Privacy Foundation’s own Professor Graham Greenleaf.

The seminar program, together with access information and start times, can be found on the Council of Europe website here.

We hope you will join us on the 28th to explore the benefits of Convention 108 for the Asia-Pacific.

Upcoming Event in Brisbane – Attacks on Encryption: Privacy, Civil Society and the Surveillance State

Monique Mann — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 00:55:05 +0000

On Thursday October 5th, join the Australian Privacy Foundation, Digital Rights Watch Australia, Future Wise, and the QUT Crime and Justice Research Centre at ThoughtWorks Brisbane office to discuss ‘Attacks on Encryption: Privacy, Civil Society, and the Surveillance State.’

The Australian Government has announced it will pursue new powers to access encrypted communications. At present, it is unclear if Australia’s laws will require so-called backdoor vulnerabilities to be built into messaging applications. They could compel access via decryption keys or they might enable remote access to devices for interception of communications “at the ends.”

There are wide ranging privacy and information security concerns in relation to these proposed new laws.

This event will bring together a range of experts to have a critical conversation about surveillance politics, international dimensions of privacy law, the contested moral legitimacy of encryption backdoors, encryption for journalists and current civil society campaigns in this area.

Confirmed speakers include:

Former Senator Mr Scott Ludlam: Surveillance politics
Dr Angela Daly, Digital Rights Watch Australia and QUT Law: Legal dimensions of the global #waronmaths
Mr Justin Clacherty, Redfish Group, Australian Privacy Foundation, and Future Wise: Government attacks on encryption and civil society coalition campaigns
Mr Robin Doherty, ThoughtWorks and Hack for Privacy and Mr Eru Penkman, ThoughtWorks and brisSafety: How would backdoors actually operate in practice?
Dr Brenda Moon, QUT Digital Media Research Centre and Mr Felix Münch, PhD Candidate QUT Digital Media Research Centre: Encryption for journalists
Mr Michael Wilson, QUT Justice PhD Candidate: The contested moral legitimacy of encryption ‘backdoors’

Discussant: Mr Phil Green, QLD Privacy Commissioner

The event will be live streamed for those interested and unable to join in person. Further details about remote links, as well as full abstracts and speaker bios, will follow at a later date.

Arrive at 17:30 for food, drinks and networking with presentations commencing at 18:00 sharp.

RSVP for this event on Eventbrite. Space is limited, so make sure you register early.