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US Government Will Not Force Companies To Decode Encrypted Data... For Now (washingtonpost.com)
Mark Wilson writes: The Obama administration has announced it will not require companies to decrypt encrypted messages for law enforcement agencies. This is being hailed as a "partial victory" by the Electronic Frontier Foundation; partial because, as reported by the Washington Post, the government "will not — for now — call for [such] legislation." This means companies will not be forced to build backdoors into their products, but there is no guarantee it won't happen further down the line. The government wants to continue talks with the technology industry to find a solution, but leaving things in limbo for the time being will create a sense of unease on both sides of the debate.
The EFF has also compiled a report showing where the major tech companies stand on encryption.
Encryption is either secure, or it's not. And no-one wants to use insecure encryption.
We accept for now there is public pushback against our planned fascism, for now we will back off on this, but in the future we reserve the right to proceed further with the fascism.
I'm sorry, but if the US government is essentially just saying "fascism is only temporarily on hold", the US is already fucked.
You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide; give us your papers please, comrade.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
The pattern for Obama-- and many other politicians-- is this:
1. Voice opposition to X.
2. Announce s/he will engage in discussion with Y, which is a group that is clearly in favor of X.
3. Come back months to years later, claiming s/he doesn't see any reason why X can't be implemented.
4. If Congress doesn't implement it, reminds us s/he has a phone and a pen, and mostly implements it through executive regulation and taxation.
5. Bonus step for Obama: if you oppose X, you're now racist/prejudiced even though you agreed with Obama at step 1.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Because the threat of the government coming in and demanding everyone install a government approved backdoor on their encrypted data is real.
That threat is the difference between "You're alive!" and "You're alive, for now!"
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
When they outlaw encryption, only outlaws will have encryption.
Enjoy the indefinite detention as you're held as a terrorist for failing to decrypt. A little "parallel construction"/perjury to trump up some charges if you don't play along.
See, non-compliant citizens will be presumed guilty and treated as a security risk. Just to be safe you understand.
So, I applaud the sentiment, and agree with you. But it's worth pointing out that the kinds of governments who want this shit will simply find ways to compel you, or otherwise ruin your damned life. They won't play nicely, and they won't do it publicly.
I'm not sure most Americans realize the extent to which their rights and freedoms no longer exist in the same way they believe they do.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Also, the actual motivation is at significant variance with the ostensible motivation. Ubiquitous backdoors aren't necessary for law enforcement or protection from foreign threats. But they do give specific people superior business intelligence, allowing them to further their own fortunes in ways that nobody else can.
Normal people think this is a cynical attitude. That is because normal people are stupid.
And there you have it ladies and gentlemen ... you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide.
If you believe you defend these things by undermining what they actually mean, then I'm afraid you don't deserve to have these things defended since you've already given up on them.
If Americans are saying "well, gee, it's OK if the government has the ability to trample my rights, but it's OK because terrorists", then it's time to stop fucking pretending you have these things left to defend ... and the US should get on with failing utterly so the rest of the world can stop pretending you're not full of shit.
Because increasingly Americans seem to think them being the enemy of the freedoms of everybody on the planet is OK.
Here's a hint, it isn't.
Everything you said screams "we as Americans have already give up, but as long as we have the illusion of security we don't give a fuck about the underlying principles".
So, please, if you're going to abandon those principles, don't talk about defending them. Because it's either delusional or dishonest. Everything about this undermines those principles American claim to cling to.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
If you're an American (or frankly, any innocent person) anywhere in the world who isn't an active member of a foreign terrorist organization or an agent of a foreign power, the Intelligence Community DOES NOT CARE ABOUT and actually DOES NOT WANT your data. Sounds crazy and bizarre for foreign intelligence agencies to care about things like foreign intelligence, I know, but it's true.
You would think. And, if the government lived up to our ideals for it, that would be true. Why would a government want to spy on their own citizens?
But in the real world, history shows us that sometimes governments decide that they do want to spy on their own citizens. They decide that some citizens are "dissenters" and need to be spied on. They decide that court orders and civil rights don't apply to them. They make "enemy lists" and try to dig out dirt to discredit the enemies. They wiretap reformers and try to blackmail them.
Exactly. I love how they make it sound like they are OK'ing us to encrypt. Fuck you... thats like them OK'ing me to paint my living room a certain color. I'll encrypt (or paint) however the fuck I want to in my business or my personal dealings. If I have even the remotest reason to suspect I'm using backdoored software, I'll change the shit. They can't "allow" something they constitutionally don't have access to.. and they try to amend the laws they need to be fucking tried for treason.
Digital is, by definition, imperfect. Analog is the way to go.
If you're an American (or frankly, any innocent person) anywhere in the world who isn't an active member of a foreign terrorist organization or an agent of a foreign power, the Intelligence Community DOES NOT CARE ABOUT and actually DOES NOT WANT your data.
Then why are they collecting it? Why is the fact that they are collecting it so secretive? Why then, do they share this data with other TLAs? Are we just supposed to forget that NSA officials used the data they collected to spy on their love interests?
I've built a lot of databases in my day and I never put data in a database that I did not intend to use. You see, there would be no point in doing that.
If, as you say, the Intelligence Community DOES NOT WANT our data why are they working so hard to obtain it.? Why should American taxpayers pay to be spied on? The government is supposed to work for us, on our behalf, based on our shared goals. It must also act with strict adherence to the principles set forth in the US Constitution, and stop making up highly questionable "interpretations" of law to try to justify highly illegal actions.