COVID-19 has made nation less safe, says ASIO boss
Australia's top spy boss has warned the coronavirus pandemic has made Australia less safe, with spies, hackers and terrorists looking to do more harm online.
In the strongest signal yet that security agencies are pushing for new powers to access end-to-end encrypted content, Mike Burgess criticised tech companies for resisting requests by police and security agencies to access information in cyberspace.
Mike Burgess says COVID-19 has made Australia less safe.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
In a podcast with the Institute of Public Administration Australia, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general said Australia was "sadly ... less safe", with the threats that pre-dated the pandemic "still very much with us and of course we've got the big issue of dealing with COVID itself".
"Obviously we've seen more people at home, and as they're at home they're online, and we've seen increased chatter in the online world when it comes to the spread of extremist ideology attempting to radicalise people," Mr Burgess said.
Gloss