Five Eyes to combat terror online

The chief legal officers of the “Five Eyes” —an intelligence sharing consortium consisting of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US—will bid their farewells today after two-days of talks in the Canadian capital. The Quintet, as they’re known, work to coordinate legal frameworks for crime-fighting and security; this year’s summit focuses on targeting radicalisation in cyberspace.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been pushing for a more stringent legal regime to prevent malicious groups from using digital and communication technologies to recruit, radicalise and coordinate terrorist attacks. ISIS, in particular, has shown itself adept at using encrypted apps to communicate with its forces on the battlefield and to offer encouragement and advice to terrorists in the wider Middle East. Mr Turnbull’s words could find favour with Donald Trump, who pledged to “shut down” parts of the internet used by extremists during last year’s campaign.

A substantive agreement between the five AG’s could lead to expanded legal discretion to examine digital records and restrict access to suspect websites. These concerns privacy advocates, who worry new legal regimes could undermine legal protections against unreasonable search and seizure.