U.S. Senators Threaten Apple and Facebook With Encryption Regulation

[mrxak]

That's certainly an easy position to take. Sounds woke. Requires no critical thought.

Much harder is to acknowledge that indeed powerful communication technology with total privacy and encryption is an extremely dangerous loophole that didn't exist before. We can't march blindly into this, distribute it everywhere, and pretend like there will be no consequences.

I don't quite know what the answer is. I do know government control is not the answer, so the private sector had better wake up and stop ignoring this problem.

It's not a "loophole". Every existing method the government has to investigate crimes still exists the same as before encryption. Encryption is just privacy. People could sell drugs, abuse children, or build bombs in the privacy of their homes before encryption came along, and the government had no way of detecting that. This isn't 1984 where everyone has a camera on them 24/7, even in their homes. Governments are trying to use the internet as a way of breaching the privacy of your home to create the panopticon, and create new powers for themselves that never existed before.

Government agents are just too lazy to set up stings, do buy-busts, or investigate crimes after they've been committed. They want to eliminate 4th Amendment protections and simply create a police state. The answer is no.

Will bad things happen? Yes. That's how we know we're still living in a free society. Liberty is risky. It involves danger. It sure beats being a slave, though.
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All of these Senators currently serving need to be thrown out and replaced in the upcoming 2020 Elections. Get rid of ALL of the stupid incumbents!

Not to be pedantic, but, we can only get rid of 1/3rd of the currently serving Senators during any given election. I agree with the general sentiment though, all politicians should serve a maximum of one term.

 

[Hazmat401]

I encourage everyone to do the same.... don’t just complain on a forum... we need to hold these idiots accountable

I’ll wonder if the G-men will pay me a visit lol

 

[MikhailT]

That's certainly an easy position to take. Sounds woke. Requires no critical thought.

Much harder is to acknowledge that indeed powerful communication technology with total privacy and encryption is an extremely dangerous loophole that didn't exist before. We can't march blindly into this, distribute it everywhere, and pretend like there will be no consequences.

I don't quite know what the answer is. I do know government control is not the answer, so the private sector had better wake up and stop ignoring this problem.

This isn't new; this has been on-going since the early 90s with the Internet but in fact, since WWII. Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States

and https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...eing-hurt-by-90s-era-u-s-encryption-policies/

In fact, the government forced some companies to use a method to backdoor into the encryption protocols, you know what happened? Yep, massive security exploits used these backdoors.

Everyone have been working on this since the 90s, there has been NO successful way of inserting backdoors without weakening the encryption itself.

Also, understand, we're dealing with math here. Encryption is just pure math.

 

[Solomani]

And I think we finally have a thread that everyone will agree on and not bash Apple and Tim Cook.

That's true, and the majority of forum posters on MR are technophiles, and will side with Apple and Google on this issue, the common enemy being Intrusive Big Brother Government.

Sadly, let's realize that most techies/technophiles/nerds are the weakest and least politically active segment of the voter population. We have ZERO lobbying power. We don't protest (enough). We don't do activism. We don't protest to defend our rights. We don't write our Congressmen. We have negligible representation in DC. And that translates to…. OUR VOTE DOES NOT COUNT. So these Senators will get their way, and they will get away with it. They will pass whatever Big Brother laws they want. Because our voice hardly counts.

 

[RichP]

Considering so many of our politicians use WhatsApp and iMessages.. maybe it would be good for THEIR sake if things remained encrypted with no back door (the fact that sensitive gov't information is transferred this way is a whole other topic)

 

[btrach144]

Time to start electing officials who are against this.

 

[Wackery]

The technological ignorant will be the ruin of the modern world.

 

[Capeto]

Thank goodness for small-government Republicans!

 

[ajfahey]

Government spying on its citizenry, including its presidential candidates cannot be allowed. Period. End of discussion. Child abuse is a red herring.

 

[Airforcekid]

Thank goodness for small-government Republicans!

As a Republican this is why I hate Republicans, conservative to me means a small government that stays out of my life but its getting incredibly difficult to find like minded people. As someone who has served in the military and worked at the NSA and FDA you do not want the government running anything if only the average person knew.

 

[NickName99]

Republicans: securely encrypted communication is too dangerous when used by the bad guys, we need to regulate it and require backdoors

Also Republicans: the best solution for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun

 

[stylinexpat]

No backdoors in encryption. Period. End of discussion.

I agree there should be no backdoors period. Don't want communist regime or dictatorship methods of communication

 

[az431]

Apple has the means to create a one-time use box/software for that specific instance of decryption.

Explain to us how Apple would do that. You seem very knowledgeable on the subject.

 

[centauratlas]

No backdoors in encryption. Period. End of discussion.

Apple needs to do it now with regard to end to end on device encryption and iCloud. The cat will be out of the bag then.

 

[Airforcekid]

Republicans: securely encrypted communication is too dangerous when used by the bad guys, we need to regulate it and require backdoors

Also Republicans: the best solution for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun

The problem with that argument is a good guy with encryption cant do anything to stop a bad guy with encryption however a good gun owner can stop a bad gun owner. How we even let a government get this powerful in the first place no matter who is in office is my issue though.

 

[ghanwani]

This is why I use Signal for the most part. One day laws will change and all my iMessages will be out there. Not that they would be interesting but I like knowing zero records exist after a set amount of time I choose.

Does this work if people you're trying to talk to don't have signal?

 

[GeoStructural]

Very difficult subject. Putting some examples into context (i.e. child abusers) does put the onus onto Apple to provide a means of decrypting content. I also didn't find TC's comments on "a backdoor being equivalent to cancer" as wholly believable, given that Apple has the means to create a one-time use box/software for that specific instance of decryption.

It is indeed a complex topic, I stand in between I guess, I am torn in my opinion because on one side I think we deserve privacy for many reasons, on the other I think if this access helps law enforcement protect us from threats or solve cases I am for it. I think all these companies will end up complying and it will be the criminals who will find their own way to use encrypted communications.

 

[ChromeAce]

There are many other tools the government will have to control besides encryption to keep tabs on criminal activity... like fire (can destroy evidence) and mouth-to-ear whispering (private communication). While we’re at it, the government should have live access to all our Nestcams (in case child abuse is going on) and ultimately, our brain cells (in case we start thinking about committing a crime).

Or, we could head in the opposite direction and declare encryption to be a munition covered by the 2nd Amendment. It was actually defined as such in the 1990s to prevent the technology from being exported internationally.

Alternately, encryption could also be considered already supported by the 4th Amendment, which provides for citizens to be secure from government intrusion.

Ultimately, I believe Apple and others will simply remove encryption features from their products and open up the API framework so customers can insert any encryption engine of their choice from third parties. At that point, the government would have to outlaw both open and closed source code with encryption features, running afoul of the First Amendment in the process. Whether or not they get away with this will depend on who is sitting on the Supreme Court when these cases are challenged.

 

[Airforcekid]

Does this work if people you're trying to talk to don't have signal?

On iOS no, but the Android app still offers some extra protections over traditional text messgaing even if the othe user does not have it installed. I highly recommend Signal, everyone I have converted over has fallen in love with it especially if they value/understand E2E encryption.

 

[Rocko99991]

 

[boccabella]

This is what Tim Cook and Apple get along with their tax giveaway, they have no standing to complain now.

 

[iGeneo]

Thank goodness for small-government Republicans!

Unfortunately, i think this has bi-partisan support

 

[kurosov]

Typical "think of the children" ******** excuse used to mask an ulterior motive.

 

[iGeneo]

This is what Tim Cook and Apple get along with their tax giveaway, they have no standing to complain now.

And here we are... "its Apple's fault" in under 50 posts.

FFS...get a clue man

 

[IG88]

Very difficult subject. Putting some examples into context (i.e. child abusers) does put the onus onto Apple to provide a means of decrypting content. I also didn't find TC's comments on "a backdoor being equivalent to cancer" as wholly believable, given that Apple has the means to create a one-time use box/software for that specific instance of decryption.

"Terrorism" was the excuse to sidestep the living crap out of the Bill of Rights via the Patriot Act.

Now it's "child abusers" as the excuse to weaken / destroy encryption.