Tech
group rejects post-Paris call for data encryption
'backdoors'
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[November 20, 2015]
By Dustin Volz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading U.S.-based
technology industry group on Thursday, in its first statement since last
week's Paris attacks, rejected calls to give U.S. law enforcement
authorities backdoor keys to let them circumvent encryption technology
for cellphones.
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Weakening encryption to help the government monitor electronic
communications in the name of national security "simply does not
make sense," the Information Technology Industry Council said in a
statement released to Reuters.
"After a horrific tragedy like the Paris attacks, we naturally
search for solutions: weakening encryption is not a solution," said
Dean Garfield, president of the Washington-based organization, which
represents Apple, Google, Microsoft and dozens of other blue-chip
tech companies.
The attacks in Paris last Friday killed 129 and wounded hundreds.
The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility.
Some U.S. intelligence officials and lawmakers have seized on the
assault to rekindle a debate about whether tech companies should
cooperate with authorities by building “backdoors” into encrypted
devices and platforms.
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Government authorities have said the growing prevalence of encrypted
email and messaging platforms, such as iMessage or WhatsApp,
hamstring their ability to monitor criminal suspects and thwart
militant plots.
Despite early reports the Paris attackers relied on encryption, no
hard evidence has emerged they used any particular form of secure
messaging. A mobile phone recovered by French authorities at the
scene of one of the attacks and believed to be linked to one of the
suspects was found with an unencrypted text message, according to
French media.
Last month, the White House abandoned an effort to lobby tech
companies and Congress to allow law enforcement and intelligence
officials backdoor access to encrypted messaging. The idea has
re-emerged in the wake of Paris, but congressional aides say federal
legislation on the issue remains unlikely.
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Privacy advocates, tech companies and security researchers say
backdoors would expose data to malicious hackers.
"Encryption is a security tool we rely on everyday to stop criminals
from draining our bank accounts, to shield our cars and airplanes
from being taken over by malicious hacks,” Garfield said in his
statement.
“We deeply appreciate law enforcement's and the national security
community’s work to protect us, but weakening encryption or creating
backdoors to encrypted devices and data for use by the good guys
would actually create vulnerabilities to be exploited by the bad
guys."
(Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Eric Beech and Peter Cooney)
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