Slashdot Mirror
Australian Email Service FastMail Says It is Losing Customers and Facing Calls To Move Operations Outside of the Country Over Local Anti-Encryption Laws (itnews.com.au)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Email provider FastMail says it has lost customers and faces "regular" requests to shift its operations outside Australia following the passage of anti-encryption laws. The Victorian company, which offers ad-free email services to users in 150 countries, told a senate committee that the now-passed laws were starting to bite.
"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," FastMail CEO Bron Gondwana said. "We have already seen an impact on our business caused by this perception. Our particular service is not materially affected as we already respond to warrants under the Telecommunications Act." "Still, 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."
"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," FastMail CEO Bron Gondwana said. "We have already seen an impact on our business caused by this perception. Our particular service is not materially affected as we already respond to warrants under the Telecommunications Act." "Still, 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."
Dear Australia,
We love and support anti-encryption laws.
See you soon,
-Hackers and Malicious State Actors Everywhere.
Not anymore, apparently. It looks like tough, independent Australians are being turned into an obedient little slaves to Big Brother.
I would recommend Proton Mail, either the free or paid version. It's based in Switzerland and dedicated to protecting the privacy of its users.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
At least you know they are spying and they pass laws to do it. Here in the US alphabet agencies illegally spy on our citizens all the time without their knowledge. When someone brings it up they become the bad guy cause terrorism and rigged elections and Russia and ... Brown man scary.
Pretty sure the majority of the people in the US know they are getting spied on. The problem is nobody cares. They just keep staring at their screens regardless.