Australia Set to Pass Encryption Law Despite Tech Giant Protests (1)

Australia is set to pass a bill giving police and intelligence agencies access to encrypted messages on platforms such as WhatsApp, despite protests from civil libertarians and tech giants including Facebook Inc. and Google.

The main opposition Labor party said it reached an in-principle agreement to pass the legislation after the government agreed to changes that would “ensure there is better oversight and limitation of the powers in this bill,” Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the new powers would help foil terrorist attacks and criminals, including child pornographers who use ...