Why Governments Lie About Encryption Backdoors (vortex.com)

Lauren Weinstein says there are smart people in government, "who fully understand the technical realities of modern strong encryption systems and how backdoors would catastrophically weaken them," but asks So why do they continue to argue for these backdoor mechanisms, now more loudly than ever? The answer appears to be that they're lying to us. Or if lying seems like too strong a word, we could alternatively say they're being 'incredibly disingenuous' in their arguments. You don't need to be a computer scientist to follow the logic of how we reach this unfortunate and frankly disheartening determination regarding governments' invocation of terrorism as an excuse for demanding crypto backdoors for authorities' use.

Comments

Lie?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand why people believe a single word from the (US) government. Every time, on nearly every topic but especially security / military, what they say turns out to be not true.

Re:Lie?

[bill_mcgonigle]

I don't understand why people believe a single word from the (US) government

It's part of their religion.

Every time, on nearly every topic but especially security / military, what they say turns out to be not true.

Talking snakes poll even better - objective truth has little relevance.

But also consider the mental load of admitting that they're being economically and culturally ruined by these people. That would imply a moral imperative to action, which would require them to get off the couch. Technology has created the best living conditions in human history which brings comfort. They don't realize that fascistic regulations prevent that technology & comfort from being many times better. That's where the flying cars are.

Re:Lie?

[Anonymous Coward]

The SOLE reason governments (aka: not you, but the puppet masters you sheeple put into office) want backdoors and crypto bans is NOT because terrists (aka: murderers, killers, criminals, thugs), IN FACT all of them have NO real impact, look upi death rates by cause.... but because governments around the world are SCARED SHITLESS that in this new CONNECTED world where people are aware of each other and TALKING with each other and sharing ideas and solutions and futures..... that the PEOPLES OF THE WORLD are now WAKING UP and realizing that governments, especially the crony thieves of old, are UNNECESSARY.
To put it quite frankly, the US GOVT, and every other one, is AFRAID of losing their power and being REPLACED by actual effective legitimate non-corrupt totally open entities that serve ONLY the people, NOT THEMSELVES.
Do you have any FUCKING idea what kind of FALL FROM POWER and change that represents to these dynasties of elites?
So they are now trying to INVADE *your* PRIVATE communications so that they can see WHAT YOU'RE THINKING in that regard, and then MANIPULATE all of what you see, hear, read, and disintermediate your actions, steer markets, and all their old tricks.... SO THAT THE STAY IN POWER, AND TAKE MORE POWER AND RIGHTS FROM YOU.
Make NO mistake, this has nothing to do with anything but THEM and them alone.
WAKE UP WORLD... think about it... you'll realize there are more Springs needed than just the Arab Spring, fall of Berlin Wall, etc... the ones for and by you right at home.

it's not the smart people, it's the PHB

[Anonymous Coward]

Because the smart people don't drive the commentary, they just stand there in the background face-palming them selves.

Honestly government isn't any different from enterprise:

The Techs & Scientists give management a clear answer on a subject, stipulating all the factors and issues with a stance that the boss is taking, providing alternate approaches & data that shows what they want is irrelevant anyway.

The PHB doesn't like what he's hearing so just goes out and says what he thinks, regardless of the facts. "Well that's what I've promised the client, so you'll have to deliver"

Do you think that politicians & leaders in the "security" services are any different ?

Re:it's not the smart people, it's the PHB

[Opportunist]

The bible containing proof that god exists is like Harry Potter containing proof that magic exists.

Focused on attack instead of defense.

[dweller_below]

Part of the problem is that many believe that we can attack our way to security. They are confused about the fundamental nature of attack and defense when applied to the internet. They don't understand the combination of global connectivity and automation. They don't understand that any action of internet attack or defense has unintended consequences.

In the old days, you could attack one thing. You could defend one thing. But, that doesn't map well to the internet. Now, we all talk to each other. We all use the same methods of defense. When one actor attacks another, the attack is exposed, analyzed, and re-used. Now, when somebody attacks, they increase the cost of defense for everybody. When somebody comes up with improved defense, we all learn how to increase the cost of attack for everybody.

For over a decade, several branches of the US government have focused almost all their energy on attacking others across the internet. The result is an internet where compromise and breach are daily events. Somehow, our protectors don't see that they are crafting the tools of our demise and handing them to our enemies. If we are honest, we are more to blame for the great compromise at the OPM than our attackers. If we had spent the last decade on creating and encouraging defense, then breach would be difficult and rare.

Now, our governments are blindly following the tradition of attack. They wish to attack the protocols we use to determine identity and create security. They don't see or care that everybody else will do likewise. They don't see the great devastation that will follow.

Re:They got used to it

[Kjella]

Well I think it's just as much the general public not being used to early, brutal death anymore. I just checked the mortality statistics here in Norway:

0-1 years old: <0.25%
0-45 years old: <2%
0-66 years old: <10%

That is rather amazing when you consider there's still fatal accidents, diseases, murder and suicide. But we're chipping away at it bit by bit, adding safety measures, advancing medicine, reducing crime, improving mental care. Then a guy with a Kalashnikov fucks it up good, killing lots of people who with 98-99% probability should have lived decades, minimum. I'm not sure how they really coped with that during WWI and WWII when young men (and quite a few others) were dying left, right and center but I know today it's such an abomination we don't deal with it at all. We want it solved and eradicated, not just make the reasonable precautions and live with the residual risk.