FastMail expresses issues with Australia’s Assistance and Access bill

Australia’s email provider, FastMail, recently reported that they are losing their customers following Australia’s Assistance and Access (A&A) bill. They have also received requests to shift their email operations outside Australia.

Australia’s bill faced a lot of opposition from the tech community when it was first passed during the end of last year.

FastMail CEO Bron Gondwana said, “The way in which [the laws] were introduced, debated, and ultimately passed ... creates a perception that Australia has changed - that we are no longer a country which respects the right to privacy.”

“We have seen existing customers leave, and potential customers go elsewhere, citing this bill as the reason for their choice. We are [also] regularly being asked by customers if we plan to move”, Gondwana said in an email.

Gondwana mentions that the problems caused by this bill revolve around perception and trust. His email states, “Our staff are curious and capable - if our system is behaving unexpectedly, they will attempt to understand why. This is a key part of bug discovery and keeping our systems secure.”

The email further states, “Technology is a tinkerer’s arena. Tools exist to monitor network data, system calls and give computer users more observability than ever before. Secret data exfiltration code may be discovered by tinkerers or even anti-virus firms looking at unexpected behaviour.”

“Additionally, as code is refactored and products change over time, ensuring that a technical capability isn’t lost means that everybody working on the design and implementation needs to know that the technical capability exists and take it into account.”

To know more about this news in detail, read the complete email.