Ride the Lightning

Government Backs Off From Forcing Companies to Decrypt Communications

October 15, 2015

Last week, as reported in Naked Security, FBI Director James Comey was singing a new tune. The insistence on encryption back doors was gone, replaced by a statement that the government will "continue the conversations with industry." So he told Congress last Thursday.

It may be a hollow victory since the government continues to rattle the sabers about how investigations are stymied by encryption. But for now, it will not seek legislation that would force decryption.

It looks to me like a temporary stalemate – public opinion and the staunch resistance of the technology sector has been a tough nut for the government to crack. A coalition of technology businesses, civil liberties and press freedom groups have just launched a petition drive at savecrypto.org to tell president Obama to "stand up for security."

The group is looking to get more than 100,000 signatures to "tilt the balance in this debate." The letter to Obama says allowing the government to have access to encryption keys, as has been proposed, would weaken encryption and Internet security for all.

A surprise ally for the coalition is former CIA and NSA boss Michael Hayden. Hayden told a panel on cybersecurity at the Council on Foreign Relations that he does not support encryption back doors. Hayden said US national security would be better off with stronger encryption.

Score one (at least temporarily) for the good guys.

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