Senator John McCain Pushing Government Access to Encryption Protected Data

Senator John McCain Pushing Government Access to Encryption Protected Data

US Senator John McCain told reporters that he will be holding hearings and will pursue legislation to require companies to provide the government access to certain encrypted user data. However, encrypted P2P platforms for secure communications are designed so that the companies hosting the services don’t have access to the content, which would create a problem if these businesses were forced to give up this information. Such legislation would require companies to completely redesign of many flagship products, and would ultimately hurt their business in general. In my article regarding....


Related News

New California Bill Aims To Weaken Smartphone Encryption

Smartphone encryption has been a topic of heavy debate over the past few months, and the opinions are divided to say the least. Both users and manufacturers want to preserve encryption or even add additional layers to protect user data. But on the other hand, various government officials are proposing bills to have encryption on smartphones weakened by default. Weakening Smartphone Encryption To Fight Human Trafficking. A little while ago, one US state lawmaker proposed a new bill to weaken smartphone encryption by default, to avoid its use cases for terrorism and other illegal use cases.....

Bitcoin and Encryption are Protected by Freedom of Speech

May 22, 2015 was a special day in the tug-of-war of Between government, Bitcoin, and other encryption-related issues. On that day, the United Nations issued a report declaring encryption as a form of free speech. What is encryption? The SANS institute’s definition of encryption is: The UN’s report mentioned that certain governments wanted to keep a less....

FBI Director: ‘There’s No Such Thing As Absolute Privacy’

The war against encryption has escalated in the tech world this year, with governments looking to decipher more details of people’s private lives and wealth. At a recent address, FBI Director James Comey detailed that a serious “adult” conversation concerning encryption will happen in the coming year. FBI Director Details Encryption Battle to Heat up in....

Trump Picks Anti-Encryption Attorney General, Signal Encrypted Messenger Downloads Skyrocket

Donald Trump’s choice for Attorney General may indicate an administration hostile to encryption and online privacy. Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the incoming administration’s Attorney General pick, has long adopted a critical stance against encryption. He has stood in direct opposition to end-to-end encryption, citing his experience in law enforcement when calling for government officials to have complete access to encrypted devices. Earlier this year, Apple remained in a standoff with the FBI over allowing law enforcement agencies access to a locked device owned by a mass shooter in....

Encryption’s Fate Uncertain as New York & France Take Public Stances

Encryption has always been a hot topic in the world of technology and innovation. Not only does encryption allow both consumers and businesses to keep data safe from prying eyes, but it has also been a thorn in the side of governments around the world. The French government is not a fan of backdoors to break encryption, whereas a recent New York Bill....