We re at the intersection of tech and policy again, where we have a couple of examples of national leaders urging the tech industry to help the government out in the name of fighting the bad guys.
First, FBI Director James Comey continues his push for tech backdoors — a way for the government to get around encryption in order to access user information. He said Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee that increased encryption on communication devices has made his agency s job more difficult, whether it s in fighting terrorism or other crimes.
We cannot break strong encryption, Comey said, according to NPR. I think people watch TV and think the bureau can do lots of things. We cannot break strong encryption.
Comey and other spy and law enforcement types have been speaking out against tech industry moves such as Apple and Google encrypting communications on iPhones and Androids. Tech companies have ramped up their privacy and security efforts in the past couple of years, since the revelations of mass government spying based on the Edward Snowden leaks. One spying program in particular, called Prism, alleged that the NSA had backdoors access to the information of users of Apple, Google, Facebook and others — something the companies deny any knowledge of.
Opponents of baking backdoors into tech say doing so would not only harm privacy, it would also open up the technology to being exploited by others. And where do you draw the line when deciding who to let in?
Apple, Google and others have urged President Obama to support encryption.
Meanwhile, Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., is reportedly sponsoring a bill that would require social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to notify the FBI about online terrorism activity.
The companies do not proactively monitor their sites to identify such content nor do they inform the FBI when they identify or remove their content, Feinstein said Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Reuters. I believe they should.
Photo: FBI Director James Comey in 2013. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)
