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The best backdoor to encryption has always been social. Talk the right way to the right people... and it doesn't matter what type of security you have. Isn't t
by lholden 11y ago
The best backdoor to encryption has always been social. Talk the right way to the right people... and it doesn't matter what type of security you have.
Isn't that the entire purpose of agencies like the CIA?
It just bothers me when privacy is treated as a negative thing, for the greater good or not. Encryption is a tool to create privacy. The ability to create privacy should be a point of pride as not everyone has that luxury. It should be a human right.
This is the primary reason why I feel things like CISA/CISPA/etc take society in the wrong direction. It doesn't matter if the intentions are good or bad when everyone loses.
- A_Beer_Clinked 11y ago>The ability to create privacy should be a point of pride as not everyone has that luxury. It should be a human right. I agree; so does the UN in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
- refurb 11y agoWho exactly enforces the UN's Declaration of Human Rights? Without power to back it up it means nothing.
- Torgo 11y agoThe universal declaration of human rights doesn't grant you an unqualified right to privacy. Article 29, part 2: "In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society."
- lholden 11y agoIn addition to what torgo said, there are a few countries that have only upheld UN directives and treaties when it suits them. The US is a example of this.
- slg 11y agoExcept encryption provides a level of privacy that has never before been possible. Could you imagine a physical padlock that was unable to be cracked, cut, or circumvented in any way? It is easy to see how that would scare law enforcement. Imagine your job is to keep people safe. Now envision a kid strapped to a bomb inside a shack and the only thing preventing you from breaking in and saving that kid's life is that magical and unbreakable padlock. That is how many laypeople view encryption. It is hard to tell that person that you won't consider introducing any weakness into that lock.
- lholden 11y agoBut those are not the same thing. Encryption in this case would be like the location of the kid and bomb being kept secret. The bad guy may have told someone in person where the location is... or sent an encrypted email. But unless you were involved in either conversation, you are still in the dark.
- richdougherty 11y agoThat's a good analogy, but the padlock has already bolted! Information about the uncrackable padlock is widely available. Bad guys will always be able to get these padlocks from the black market. The question is whether we want the good guys (i.e. us) to have the padlocks too.
- slg 11y agoThis is a fair counter, but I feel like we already have examples of how the government would respond there. We might have to switch analogies, but wouldn't encryption then be like a weapon. The goal would then shift to being about deproliferation. The fact that nuclear weapons or AK47s already exist doesn't prevent the government from preventing regular people from acquiring or using them. Maybe preventing new products from entering the market and flooding the market with faulty products (encryption with backdoors) is a good way of combating what is already out there.
- dplgk 11y ago
- jacquesm 11y ago> It should be a human right. It actually is a human right. The right to privacy is one of the most fundamental ones that we have.
- serge2k 11y agoNot in the constitution, and the founding fathers clearly envisioned the modern world in perfect clarity so we'll just go with their words verbatim.
- gukov 11y agoSo, like the Tel Aviv airport where the main security measure for departing flights is a short chat with every passenger. The agents are trained to recognize red flags.