While some see the digital world as a libertarian, post-national paradise that should be exempt from the ordinary constraints of government, the Herald does not have much sympathy for those who reject all regulation of the internet.

There is nothing anti-democratic about forcing tech companies, for instance, to pay their fair share of taxes rather than stream profit to offshore tax havens or to police their networks for hate speech and false advertising.

Similarly, there is no philosophical reason to oppose the Telecommunications (Access and Assistance) Bill which will give security agencies and police access to messaging services such as Telegram, Signal or WhatsApp which are currently encrypted.

Australia's spy agencies say that the law will help track down potential terrorists and other bad guys. But the tech community has warned that giving spooks access to messaging apps is a step on the road to a Big Brother police state. They point out that authoritarian states such as Russia and China have taken the lead in demanding access to encrypted networks.

Privacy concerns should be taken seriously but, providing there are appropriate safeguards and democratic supervision, the security services should be given the benefit of the doubt. This is not that different to the longstanding laws which allow police and spies to bug your telephone, providing they obtain a warrant from a judge.