The subject of tech encryption is trending amid speculation about how the Paris attackers might have communicated to coordinate last week s deadly strikes.
For a while now, law enforcement and government officials have been complaining about companies increased use of encryption technology in an effort to protect privacy and security in the age of hacks, identity theft and mass government spying. The attacks in the French capital Friday, which so far have killed 129 people and injured hundreds more, are prompting law enforcement and government officials to say it again: They think encryption makes their jobs harder.
We, in many respects, have gone blind as a result of the commercialization and the selling of these devices that cannot be accessed either by the manufacturer or, more importantly, by us in law enforcement, even equipped with search warrants and judicial authority, New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said in an interview on Face the Nation Sunday. This is something that is going to need to be debated very quickly because we cannot continue operating where we are blind. Politico notes that Bratton voiced similar concerns in another TV interview Sunday.
Companies such as Apple and Google have enabled encryption by default in smartphones, which makes it tough for authorities and other to access user information. Increasing encryption is, of course, mostly a response to the rise of unprecedented government spying powers in response to the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, all in the name of fighting terrorism. The mass spying was revealed a couple of years ago after former U.S. government tech contractor Edward Snowden leaked government documents — so naturally Snowden is getting his share of blame for the Paris attacks, as if Snowden himself invented encryption.
Keep in mind that all this talk comes even as there is no definitive word yet about how the attackers communicated with one another. There was an unfounded report about how the attackers communication tool of choice supposedly was a PlayStation 4 game console, and a report citing unnamed European officials who said the attackers used encrypted technology to talk among themselves.
Now the question is whether the reaction to the Paris attacks will set back encryption advances as governments insist that fighting terrorism should take precedence over protecting privacy. But it s not simply a matter of security vs. privacy — encryption actually addresses both. Weakening encryption and giving governments access to electronic communications and information in the name of fighting terrorism risks giving others that same access.
But for some, it s all black and white: CIA Director John Brennan reportedly said today he hoped the Paris attacks would be a wake-up call, and that hand-wringing weakens governments ability to prevent attacks.
Photo: The Eiffel Tower is illuminated with the colors of the French flag in tribute to the victims of the November 13, 2015 Paris terror attacks. (ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images)
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