back to article Australia should be the 'Switzerland of data', Cisco head hacker says

Australia should become the 'Switzerland for data' Cisco chief security man John Stewart says. John Stewart. Image: Darren Pauli, The Register. The country is already attractive given its isolation, political stability and could with sufficient technology investment become a global data hub. "[Australia] is a very …

  1. Adam 1

    Would you really trust your IP to Brandistan?

  2. Pu02

    Maybe Larry senses that the time is right?

    Stewart's right. And unlike anything else Oztralians want to do other than mining iron, uranium and coal, it wouldn't take a lot to catch up to the rest of the world. Assuming that is, that Oz could throw out its present law relating to privacy, confidentiality, off-shoring of taxable income, and write something half-sensible.

    But, it has proven over and over however that it cannot. Having more legally trained politicians per head than anywhere else has not helped. But now an ebullient barrister has just been installed as Prime Minister. So perhaps that is better put: Despite the fact that it is run by a barrister and 8 highly capable governments.

    Indeed, overhauling their extraordinarily voluminous Tax Act still evades our well resourced, Antiopedan friends. But the former colonial penal colony's troubles now extend well beyond the whims of a few antediluvian media moguls. The constipation that is its 'Westminster' system, devoid of a working constitution or a relevant monarch, left a vacuum now filled by gambling Dons, elephantine billionaires and bankers working FIFO in the BVI, the Canaries and anywhere else they can stash their cash. These guys do very well out of keeping the turds lodged firmly where they now lie, expertly rolled in glitter and stuck in legislative poultice.

    Larry can forget turning any of that into the saviour of his customer's data now Uncle Sam wants an extra set of keys and its own API. He'd have to buy the rest of them out to achieve it.

    OTOH, it might be cheaper than buying other credible islands. Maybe John's speech is a first step in the takeover process?

    1. GrumpyOldBloke

      Re: Maybe Larry senses that the time is right?

      Larry's just playing to the cheap seats, rollup for the great Turnbull innovation sideshow. See the misogynists heckling the bearded lady. Buy some Cisco kit, be one of the agile kids. There is no chance of Australia becoming the Switzerland of anything (except perhaps cars) our institutions lack the capacity for mature public debate and while we remain compromised by 5-eyes and the 'look over there a terrorist' catchall we are doomed. The only vision our politicians have is for massive immigration to feed the banking/housing ponzi and the other parasites in the FIRE sector and of course expanded police / state security powers to try and protect the haves from the increasing number of nots (especially the young) who will be expected to sacrifice and pay for it all.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      5 eyes = crossed eyed

      Is that a joke? It wouldn't be smart putting all your data into Australia, one of the 5 eyes countries, with a warrantless mass surveillance law on its books already:

      https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140924/11254228624/proposed-terror-law-would-allow-australias-entire-internet-to-be-monitored-with-just-one-warrant.shtml

      Their Snoopers charter law is so bad in Australia that even the Food Safety board can get warrantless access to Australians internet data. In secret of course, they don't need to hand over a warrant first. A warrant might face a legal challenge, they can get the data, and provide a warrant *after* as an optional extra if they want to prosecute. Thus avoiding any nasty legal challenges or inspection of their purpose.

      Australia could grab all your data, without a warrant, without even a warrant at the door, so no judge has confirmed they have reasonable suspicion. The cloud provider getting searched has no challenge to that warrant (because no warrant is issued), so they have to hand over the data. The customer of that cloud provider doesn't get a chance to challenge it and likely will never be informed.

      So man it would be stupid to put your data into that mess.

      When a government under foreign surveillance and thus under foreign influence, turns surveillance against its own people, you can pretty much forget any process and law. You have a leadership that will obey its masters. Its masters are not the voters, its the people holding their Panama Papers.... their nasty secret they don't want revealed. That is what's happening in the 5 eyes countries. Watch Cameron stay on 'Snoopers Charter' message now that he's had a Panama Papers warning shot across his bow.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: 5 eyes = crossed eyed

        That's right! I was wondering .. well would Australia be like Iceland or would the statutes there have the governments (and who knows who else) all over the data, obviously the latter.

  3. GrumpyKiwi
    Trollface

    Checks date - not April 1st

    Ah hah ha ha hah ha ha hah. The second worst nanny state in the western world and the US's best bumchum somehow making themselves the Switzerland of anything.

    Yeah right.

  4. Oengus
    Coat

    Sure you can send all of your data to Australia. It will be safe from hackers because no one will ever be able to access the data because of our slow overloaded connections to the outside world.

    Mine's the one with the 4G dongle in the inside pocket.

  5. Paul

    This is the Australia which tries to censor the internet as if it's a TV channel?

    The same Australia which has a monopolistic national telco?

    It'd take ten years, massive investment in new fibre links to the rest if the world, and a total reeducation of their government before companies would host there.

    1. Medixstiff

      "and a total reeducation of their government before companies would host there."

      I'm still waiting for a sacked CSIRO staffer to go all mad scientist and drop some space junk onto Parliament House Canberra, so we can start all over again.

  6. Paul

    How many different prime ministers have they had in the last six years?

    "political stability"???

  7. Colin Tree

    Baaaaa

    Our isolation is because of Border Security.

    Our political stability is because our two main parties are ostensibly the same - "dumb all over".

    Our investors are too conservative to take any risks.

    Our NBN is a dismal failure.

    Our CSIRO has been gutted.

    We're just a flock of fucking sheep.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Five Eyes and No Canaries

    Clueless. Australia is a dangerous place to store any data. They have even made warrant canaries illegal.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Five Eyes and No Canaries

      That's true too, I forgot: they play the handmaiden to the FBI. What a pushover.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Switzerland should be the Switzerland of data.

    Australia is much like a 51th state of the US.

  10. JJKing

    I wish for the sake of Awestralia that the data thingy would become a reality but when you have a government wreck a massive infrastructure project like the NBN just because it was started by a different political party, then there really is no hope of it happening.

    faster, cheaper, sooner is now Slower, Dearer, Later.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    PUE anyone?

    Wouldn't want to be the one paying for the leccy bill for the data centre cooling ;-)

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