2019-08-14 07.39.19

Attorney General Barr and Encryption - Schneier on Security by Bruce Schneier

With this change, we can finally have a sensible policy conversation. Yes, adding a backdoor increases our collective security because it allows law enforcement to eavesdrop on the bad guys. But adding that backdoor also decreases our collective security because the bad guys can eavesdrop on everyone. This is exactly the policy debate we should be having -- not the fake one about whether or not we can have both security and surveillance.

When I break it down, what I think the attorney general is saying to all of us law-abiding citizens, is "in the interest of finding the criminals among you we want the power to stop and frisk".

I do not trust these three-letter government agencies with this power.

I agree with Bruce:

As computers continue to permeate every aspect of our lives, society, and critical infrastructure, it is much more important to ensure that they are secure from everybody -- even at the cost of law enforcement access­ -- than it is to allow access at the cost of security. Barr is wrong, it kind of is like these systems are protecting nuclear launch codes.

Author: Khürt Williams

A human who works in information security and enjoys photography, Formula 1 and craft ale. #nobridge