Hillary Clinton calls for cooperation on encryption
The debate over smartphone, app and data encryption rages on in the US. With the recent events in Paris only fueling the fire for those arguing for backdoor access, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke up on the need for cooperation this week. "We need Silicon Valley not to view government as its adversary," Clinton explained in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "We need our best minds in the private sector to work with our best minds in the public sector to develop solutions that will both keep us safe and protect our privacy." While the debate has gone back and forth for sometime now, reports that the Paris attackers used encrypted messaging services to coordinate last week's events resounded the call for legislation that demands access for law enforcement.
An ISIS manual also instructed followers on how to keep from being detected online, including using encrypted apps like Apple's FaceTime and iMessage instead of regular text messaging. If you'll recall, those two messaging apps are completely locked down and Apple can't access the data, even if law enforcement issues a warrant. ISIS also reportedly has a 24-hour help desk to assist with matters of secure communication. Law enforcement and government officials maintain that such strict encryption is a public safety concern, arguing that authorities should have access to prevent terrorists from going undetected.
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