Will internet security mean we lose our online freedom?

The scale and connectivity of the internet has advanced core civil liberties, free trade and freedom of expression in Australia and around the world. But as nations, businesses and individuals become increasingly connected, there are growing threats of cyberattacks on our economy and our personal data.

Government and industry in Australia, as elsewhere, are struggling to strike that delicate balance between security and openness in the internet age. How to find that balance will be a hotly debated discussion topic at the upcoming Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) on 11-12 October in Canberra.

Cyberthreats come in the form of computer viruses like the highly sophisticated, possibly state-sponsored worms Stuxnet or Flame, the subversive activities of individual and organised groups of hackers and cyberterrorists, as well as from potentially devastating glitches compounded by natural catastrophes.

Ways to respond to current cybercrime concerns form the core of a controversial package of proposed reforms to national security legislation now under review by The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security. The reform proposals, referred to the Committee by the Attorney General Nicola Roxon, include data retention plans, interception of communications, telecommunications sector security and Australia intelligence community reform.

The proposals have resulted in more than 200 submissions to the inquiry from Australian internet industry stakeholders including iiNet, the Internet Society of Australia, Pirate Party Australia and the Australian Privacy Foundation. Many of these submissions express opposition to the proposed reforms and highlight the ongoing challenges in maintaining national security without foregoing personal liberties and privacy.

“The argument that ‘you’ve nothing to hide if you’ve done nothing wrong’ is the mainstay of despotic governments or authoritarian regimes and has no currency in an open, democratic society,” auDA CEO Chris Disspain said, echoing his statements made on ABC Local Radio.

“The Australian Internet Governance Forum will bring experts and interested parties together to weigh up the best ways to both safeguard our individual security and our fundamental liberties online.”

The auIGF is a multistakeholder conference that will bring government, industry and community members together to discuss internet-related policy issues, exchange ideas and best practices, and help shape the future of the internet in Australia. It is jointly convened by auDA, the Internet Industry Association, the Australian chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-AU), the Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC).

The 2012 auIGF will be held at the Hotel Realm in Canberra on 11 and 12 October.