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I am an Australian software developer and am currently getting https://www.lifepim.com https://www.lifepim.com ready for release which, funnily enough has the m

I am an Australian software developer and am currently getting https://www.lifepim.com https://www.lifepim.com ready for release which, funnily enough has the main selling point as "Your data is private, secure and free from adverts" - what a joke. The scary part is not knowing how the law is going to be implemented - I am hopeful that smart people work on the implementation of it in terms of practicality. If it is an on request thing "give us the details of terrorist@blah.com" then that is doable, but if they really want backdoor access to all accounts, then that is ridiculous amount of work and a lot of security risks to worry about. Wait and see I guess.

dbetteridge 8y ago
Looks like a cool product. Realistically could we just setup all code to be hosted overseas and then pay a set of reviewers in Europe to check PR's for possible backdoors? Don't think the law let's them compell you to build the backdoor in a super secret and hidden way...
- boyter 8y ago
  The way it’s written that could be 5 years in gaol because you let people know about it.
  - StavrosK 8y ago
    Not relevant, but I love the old-school spelling of "gaol". Is it still used anywhere or are you being whimsical?
    - brokenmachine 8y ago
      That's the official spelling in Australia, and I think the UK.
    - shakna 8y ago
      Yes, Australia uses it still. e.g. Ballarat Gaol, Old Melbourne Gaol.
      - StavrosK 8y ago
        Ah, that's delightful.
- acutesoftware 8y ago
  Thanks! I don't hosting overseas would work, but then again - who knows how it would be implemented.
tcd 8y ago
Yup, your software just became compromised. No way in hell I'd ever use that now. Time to find a new career, sorry.
marcus_holmes 8y ago
Don't launch in Australia. Or don't launch in Europe. GDPR and this legislation are in direct conflict. Pick a market...
- acutesoftware 8y ago
  Can launches can be targeted (legally) to a country? The site is hosted in London and am already GDPR compliant - wonder if this is means it is not under Australian laws?
  - marcus_holmes 8y ago
    If you're not an Aussie company, and don't have any staff in Australia, then it's a long reach for them to do something to you. If you specifically reject all customers attempting to sign up from an Aussie IP address, or with an Aussie physical address (if you have that), then you're on pretty firm ground to tell them to piss off if they come knocking. But, y'know, I'm not a lawyer, and you might be subject to whatever whims any country cares to hit you with. Get some legal advice before trusting some random internet comment ;)
    - marcus_holmes 8y ago
      I guess the poster child for this is Kim Dotcom. Launched a file sharing service from New Zealand that didn't break any NZ laws. USA didn't like it though, and asked NZ to extradite him to face charges in the USA. Legal battle still going, I think... but the business is dead. I doubt Australia has that much clout, but you never know when an extradition will be the price of some favour to someone...
  - bausshf 8y ago
    If the business is registered in Australia then you're under Australian laws, regardless of where it's hosted. All my hosting is done in the US, but that doesn't mean any of my businesses are necessarily American.
- kazen44 8y ago
ashildr 8y ago
I’m sure your customers will believe you if you say that your government did not tell you to lie about backdoors and weaknesses in your products security.
- acutesoftware 8y ago
  That's the scary part about this - a company is not allowed to tell people when the data was accessed
  - cyphar 8y ago
    They are allowed to provide statistical information (in 6-month windows). Still completely useless in a practical sense.
    - brokenmachine 8y ago
      No. That was an amendment that was not passed. We got the full dictatorship version with no reporting at all.
      - cyphar 8y ago
        The section on statistics was in the first reading of the bill.
      - magduf 8y ago
        Technically, it's not like a dictatorship at all. A dictatorship is a government where there's one person at the top with ultimate power. What you have really is more like a "cabal", much like China's government.
        brokenmachine 8y ago
        Oops. Totalitarian government?
brokenmachine 8y ago
I would not use your software because I don't believe my data on it could possibly be private and secure. Especially after you've just said you could do an "on request thing" for certain users data. Sadly our government has failed us. We are the laughing stock of the whole world (except maybe China).
kevin_b_er 8y ago
It is now legally impossible for data to be private or secure. Your product is now dead by law.

dbetteridge 8y ago

Looks like a cool product. Realistically could we just setup all code to be hosted overseas and then pay a set of reviewers in Europe to check PR's for possible backdoors? Don't think the law let's them compell you to build the backdoor in a super secret and hidden way...

boyter 8y ago
The way it’s written that could be 5 years in gaol because you let people know about it.
- StavrosK 8y ago
  Not relevant, but I love the old-school spelling of "gaol". Is it still used anywhere or are you being whimsical?
  - brokenmachine 8y ago
    That's the official spelling in Australia, and I think the UK.
  - shakna 8y ago
    Yes, Australia uses it still. e.g. Ballarat Gaol, Old Melbourne Gaol.
    - StavrosK 8y ago
      Ah, that's delightful.
acutesoftware 8y ago
Thanks! I don't hosting overseas would work, but then again - who knows how it would be implemented.

tcd 8y ago

Yup, your software just became compromised. No way in hell I'd ever use that now. Time to find a new career, sorry.

marcus_holmes 8y ago

Don't launch in Australia. Or don't launch in Europe. GDPR and this legislation are in direct conflict. Pick a market...

acutesoftware 8y ago
Can launches can be targeted (legally) to a country? The site is hosted in London and am already GDPR compliant - wonder if this is means it is not under Australian laws?
- marcus_holmes 8y ago
  If you're not an Aussie company, and don't have any staff in Australia, then it's a long reach for them to do something to you. If you specifically reject all customers attempting to sign up from an Aussie IP address, or with an Aussie physical address (if you have that), then you're on pretty firm ground to tell them to piss off if they come knocking. But, y'know, I'm not a lawyer, and you might be subject to whatever whims any country cares to hit you with. Get some legal advice before trusting some random internet comment ;)
  - marcus_holmes 8y ago
    I guess the poster child for this is Kim Dotcom. Launched a file sharing service from New Zealand that didn't break any NZ laws. USA didn't like it though, and asked NZ to extradite him to face charges in the USA. Legal battle still going, I think... but the business is dead. I doubt Australia has that much clout, but you never know when an extradition will be the price of some favour to someone...
- bausshf 8y ago
  If the business is registered in Australia then you're under Australian laws, regardless of where it's hosted. All my hosting is done in the US, but that doesn't mean any of my businesses are necessarily American.
kazen44 8y ago

ashildr 8y ago

I’m sure your customers will believe you if you say that your government did not tell you to lie about backdoors and weaknesses in your products security.

acutesoftware 8y ago
That's the scary part about this - a company is not allowed to tell people when the data was accessed
- cyphar 8y ago
  They are allowed to provide statistical information (in 6-month windows). Still completely useless in a practical sense.
  - brokenmachine 8y ago
    No. That was an amendment that was not passed. We got the full dictatorship version with no reporting at all.
    - cyphar 8y ago
      The section on statistics was in the first reading of the bill.
    - magduf 8y ago
      Technically, it's not like a dictatorship at all. A dictatorship is a government where there's one person at the top with ultimate power. What you have really is more like a "cabal", much like China's government.
      - brokenmachine 8y ago
        Oops. Totalitarian government?

brokenmachine 8y ago

I would not use your software because I don't believe my data on it could possibly be private and secure. Especially after you've just said you could do an "on request thing" for certain users data. Sadly our government has failed us. We are the laughing stock of the whole world (except maybe China).

kevin_b_er 8y ago

It is now legally impossible for data to be private or secure. Your product is now dead by law.