Without Encryption, Everything Stops, Says Snowden (thehill.com)

An anonymous reader writes about Snowden's appearance on a debate with CNN's Fareed Zakaria: Edward Snowden defended the importance of encryption, calling it the "backbone of computer security." He said, "Encryption saves lives. Encryption protects property. Without it, our economy stops. Our government stops. Everything stops. Our intelligence agencies say computer security is a bigger problem than terrorism, than crime, than anything else," he noted. "[...] Lawful access to any device or communication cannot be provided to anybody without fatally compromising the security of everybody."

Comments

Freedom Comes with a Price Tag

[npslider]

Freedom means the right to privacy. Solid encryption offers that privacy. It also gives criminals a way to hide their data from law enforcement. Long before the digital age, that has been going on in dark alleys and secret underground bunkers.

The government sees a way to gain unprecedented power and will stop at nothing to get it.

I find the trade off acceptable. I'd rather see a few more terrorists escape, than face a government that labels all who choose to encrypt a potential criminal, or worse.

Re:Freedom Comes with a Price Tag

[squiggleslash]

Plus, you should probably mention the importance of encryption to DRM. I think everyone on Slashdot can get behind the idea that without strong, well encrypted, digital rights management systems, the studios would find their movies being quite literally stolen from them by people we can only describe as digital terrorists, their revenues and profits destroyed as unpaying freeloaders enjoy the fruits of the studios hard, expensive, work without paying a cent.

(You need to know what arguments to use if you want to persuade the government to knock it off...)

(Oh f---, have I just persuaded most of Slashdot to oppose encryption?)

Re:I wish I could say 'No fucking shit!' but...

[dejitaru]

gigs of unconstitutional secret shit