WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton has spoken publicly for the first time since quitting Facebook — which acquired the encrypted messaging app for US$22 billion in 2014 — but apart from some intricate detail, has revealed nothing apart from what emerged when the news of his leaving the social media giant broke in June.

During the past two weeks, a clear message has been sent to the Australian Government from all sectors of the national community. The people of Australia want the government to take their unacceptable authoritarian anti-encryption bill and cremate it.

A group of privacy and rights organisations have called on Australian politicians to reject the encryption bill which was introduced into Parliament last week, as it creates insecurity by design which will get in the way of Australian companies who seek to do business in European markets.