Aussie PM to lobby U.S. to take act against tech-savvy terrorists at G20

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will use this weekend's G20 summit to lobby U.S. President Donald Trump to act against terrorists who use encrypted messaging platforms to share information.

Describing the increasing use of encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram by terrorists as a "massive issue," Turnbull said he would be asking world leaders, specifically Trump, to ensure messaging companies follow through on the "responsibility to public safety" by handing over critical information containing terrorist chatter.

"It is (an issue) that will be the subject of some very frank discussions," Turnbull told Fairfax Media on Wednesday.

"We are in a position now where increasingly police and security agencies can intercept telecommunications, but they cannot read them.

"We need to have much greater co-operation because the terrorist threat is absolutely global."

The prime minister said the president should be speaking to the founders of American encrypted messaging platforms to convince them to hand over terrorist information if required by law enforcement agencies.

Turnbull was ready for tough opposition, saying there were a "variety of views about this (issue)," particularly in the United States.

"You have the imperative of law enforcement and public safety ... But on the other hand, particularly in the U.S., you have a very strong libertarian tradition both on the left and the right," he told Fairfax.

Turnbull will attend the G20 meetings in Hamburg, Germany from July 7.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)