Does Increased Data Encryption Lead To Cybersecurity Risk? US Attorney General Thinks So

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that increased encryption of data on phones and computers and encrypted messaging apps are putting American security at risk.  

Barr’s comments at a cybersecurity conference mark a continuing effort by Justice Department to push tech companies to provide law enforcement with access to encrypted devices and applications during investigations.  

“re have been eugh dogmatic prouncements that lawful access simply cant be done,” Barr said. “It can be, and it must be.”  

attorney general said law enforcement is increasingly unable to access information on devices, and between devices, even with a warrant supporting probable cause of criminal activity.  Barr said terrorists and cartels switch mid-communication to encrypted applications to plan dely operations. He described a transnational drug cartel’s use of WhatsApp group chat to specifically coordinate murders of Mexico-based police officials.  

Gail Kent, Facebook’s global public policy le on security, recently said that allowing government’s ability to gain access to encrypted communications would jeopardize cybersecurity for millions of law-abiding people who rely on it. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook.  

“It’s impossible to create any backdoor that couldn’t be discovered, and exploited, by b actors,” Kent said.  

Allowing government access to encrypted devices also wouldn’t prevent people from switching to any new services that may crop up around world that U.S. ncies can’t access, Kent said.  

Encrypted communications are ones that are only available to users on eir end of communications. increasing use of this techlogy has long been coined by Justice Department as “going dark” problem.  

Barr’s remarks also ackwledged need for encryption to ensure overall cybersecurity that has enabled people to bank relatively securely online and eng in e-commerce.  Barr said that to date, law enforcement in Garland, Texas, have been unable to access 100 instant messs sent between terrorists who carried out an attack re in May 2015.  

“ status quo is exceptionally dangerous, it is unacceptable and only getting worse,” Barr said. “It’s time for United States to stop debating wher to dress it and start talking about how to dress it.”  

Ex-FBI director James Comey championed need for a law enforcement workaround to encrypted devices and communications. He led a highly publicized push to gain access to an iPhone belonging to a perpetrator of a terrorist attack in San Bernardi, California, that killed 14 people in 2015.  

From Senate floor on Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., responded to Barr’s remarks in New York calling it an “outrous, wrongheed and dangerous proposal.”  

Wyden said Barr wants to “blow a hole” in a critical security feature for Americans’ digital lives by trying to undermine strong encryption and vocating for government backdoors into personal devices of Americans. He said strong encryption helps keep health records, personal communications and or sensitive data secure from hackers.  

Effectively banning encryption in U.S. by t allowing companies to provide unbreakable encryption, doesn’t prevent it existing and flourishing elsewhere, and only makes Americans less secure against foreign hackers, Wyden said.  

“Once you weaken encryption with a backdoor, you make it far easier for criminals, hackers and predators to get into your digital life,” Wyden said. He said he fears and expects that Barr and President Donald Trump would abuse power to break encryption if y were allowed to do so.  

Given ir records “it is clear to me that y cant be trusted with this kind of power,” Wyden said.  

ah ran, a spokesman for Internet Association, said “strong encryption makes us all safer and more secure” and protects Americans from daily cyberattacks that can compromise personal information. tre association represents internet companies — including Facebook, Google, Twitter and LinkedIn — on public policy.  

“Companies must t be required to engineer vulnerabilities into ir products and services that could put us all at risk,” ran said.  

Critics of Justice Department position also point out that law enforcement ncies have been able to use unencrypted metata to solve crimes and hired a private contractor to ultimately gain access to iPhone linked to San Bernardi attacks.  

“re is way to give FBI access to encrypted communications without giving same access to every government on planet,” said Brett Max Kaufman, senior staff attorney with ACLU’s Center for Democracy.  

“Techlogy providers should continue to make ir products as safe as possible and resist pressure from all governments to undermine security of tools y offer.” 

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