Obama sides with UK PM, calls for law enforcement-crackable encryption

President Obama has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that encryption is a problem for law enforcement. With UK Prime Minister David Cameron alongside, demanded that there must be both ways to keep citizens' information private, but that there has to be a way to allow law enforcement to surveil both in real-time, as well as decrypt after-the-fact forensically, when a court deems it necessary. "Because this is a whole new world, as David [Cameron] says, the laws that might've been designed for the traditional wiretap have to be updated. How we do that needs to be debated both here in the United States and in the UK" said the President.

"If we find evidence of a terrorist plot... and despite having a phone number, despite having a social media address or email address, we can't penetrate that, that's a problem," said the President. Obama is referring to software by Apple and Google that both companies claim can't be decrypted, even with a court order in place.

Apple and other tech companies have "opted out" of playing a role in law enforcement by changing some messaging systems, such as email and chat, to use private encryption that the companies cannot break. Omitted by most governmental officials discussing the matter is the fact that law enforcement, if suitably inspired to do so, can generally can break most encryption systems, given time and tools already in their possession. End-to-end encryption makes it more difficult, and more laborious, for law enforcement or intelligence agencies.

Earlier in the week, Cameron said that he would seek a ban on end-to-end encrypted messaging, calling it a tool that terrorists use to effectively, and securely communicate. Cameron claimed that "I have a very simple principle to apply here," explained Cameron in his speech, "which should be at the heart of the legislature that will be necessary. The simple principle is this, 'In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people, which even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the Home Secretary personally, that we cannot read?'" He has since said that the remarks were misconstrued, but the intention of the Prime Minister's words seems clear enough.

Without going into specifics of when a court order would be issued for surveillance, Obama also said that "when we have the ability to track that in a way that is legal, conforms with due process, rule of law and presents oversight, then that's a capability that we have to preserve."

By Electronista Staff

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Obama sides with UK PM, calls for law enforcement-crackable encryption