Australia’s Prime Minister Michael Turnbull doesn’t believe in the laws of mathematics – a troubling sign for a world leader to say the least. Australia’s leader spoke the infamous words at a press conference yesterday in Sydney, Australia. When asked by a journalist if the laws of mathematics would trump the laws of Australia (as they trump every man-made law ever), he responded:

“The laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that. The laws of mathematics are very commendable but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia.”

What’s revealed here is a dangerous misunderstanding of the laws of mathematics. To think that the laws of a country could somehow “beat” the natural laws of mathematics is exactly the mentality that makes encryption backdoors seem like a good idea. Now that it’s clear what these politicians think about mathematics, their stances on encryption make a lot more “sense.”

Turnbull wants to make 2+2=5 in Australia

Australia is pushing their anti-math, anti-encryption message to the Five Eyes, and even the rest of the world. In places such as the Netherlands, data mining and surveillance laws were just passed this past week. At this point, it seems unlikely that their anti-encryption ways will spread far, given that the United Nations has come out in support of end-to-end encryption without backdoors, as has the EU. Additionally, the United States Human Rights Council has also ruled that internet access to the open internet is a basic human right – and encryption is a key part of that. Australia, as Prime Minister Turnbull has revealed in spades, literally wants to make 2+2=5 in their quest for big brother surveillance powers. A politician that doesn’t understand the laws of mathematics shouldn’t be in the power to make such decisions. This isn’t a case of forgive for they know not what they do, though. At the end of the day, we do see certain governments such as the UK, Russia, and now Australia diving headlong into a world where the laws of mathematics are denied.

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