FBI Director Says Prolific Default Encryption Hurting Government Spying Efforts (go.com)

SonicSpike quotes a report from ABC News: FBI Director James Comey warned again Tuesday about the bureau's inability to access digital devices because of encryption and said investigators were collecting information about the challenge in preparation for an "adult conversation" next year. Widespread encryption built into smartphones is "making more and more of the room that we are charged to investigate dark," Comey said in a cybersecurity symposium. The remarks reiterated points that Comey has made repeatedly in the last two years, before Congress and in other settings, about the growing collision between electronic privacy and national security. "The conversation we've been trying to have about this has dipped below public consciousness now, and that's fine," Comey said at a symposium organized by Symantec, a technology company. "Because what we want to do is collect information this year so that next year we can have an adult conversation in this country." The American people, he said, have a reasonable expectation of privacy in private spaces -- including houses, cars and electronic devices. But that right is not absolute when law enforcement has probable cause to believe that there's evidence of a crime in one of those places, including a laptop or smartphone. "With good reason, the people of the United States -- through judges and law enforcement -- can invade our private spaces," Comey said, adding that that "bargain" has been at the center of the country since its inception. He said it's not the role of the FBI or tech companies to tell the American people how to live and govern themselves. "We need to understand in the FBI how is this exactly affecting our work, and then share that with folks," Comey said, conceding the American people might ultimately decide that its privacy was more important than "that portion of the room being dark." Comey made his remarks to the 2016 Symantec Government Symposium. The Daily Dot has another take on Comey's remarks, which you can read here.

Comments

Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

Um, Duh. You brought this on yourselves. If you didn't constantly overreach, I wouldn't feel as completed to encrypt all my communications.

Not their role.

[whoever57]

He said it's not the role of the FBI or tech companies to tell the American people how to live and govern themselves

Exactly. If I and millions of other people want to use encryption, it's not up to the FBI to tell me not to do so.

This guy will never admit it, but the fault lies with the past and continuing attitudes towards data gathering in the NSA and FBI. Massive overreach (as documented by Snowden) led to an accelerated implementation of encryption.

Comey: grow a pair and admit that it is your own fault.

Re:They seem to think they have a say in this

[ShanghaiBill]

There were encryption wars in the 1990s?

Yes there was.
The government lost.
The people won.

Re:Every word is undermined..

[grumpy_old_grandpa]

That development started at least as early as the 1960s, with Nixon's tough on crime policies. Since then, we've had a steady march towards a more brutal militarized police force from federal to local levels.

For an insightful review and background on why we have the police we have today, read Radley Balko's "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces". It follows the main events, landmark court cases and government policies which took us there. It's a well written journalistic expose, with detailed information and history.

Re:FBI Word games

[serviscope_minor]

[citation needed]

Are you fucking kidding me? Try reading an actual news source.

Try here, for instance:

http://www.independent.co.uk/n...

You know, for example.