Theresa May’s repeated calls to ban encryption still won’t work – New Scientist

Theresa May making a statement following Saturdays attack in London

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Timothy Revell

In the wake of Saturdays terrorist attack in London, the Prime Minister Theresa May has again called for new laws to regulate the internet, demanding that internet companies do more to stamp out spaces where terrorists can communicate freely.

We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed, she said. Yet that is precisely what the internet and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide.

Her comments echo those made in March by the home secretary, Amber Rudd. Speaking after the previous terrorist attack in London, Rudd said thatend-to-end encryption in apps like WhatsApp is completely unacceptableand that there should be no hiding place for terrorists.

Yet most experts agree that these repeated calls to be tougher on technology are poorly thought through. Undermining cryptography simply could not work.

The arguments against banning encryption are well rehearsed, but worth repeating. Encryption is not just a tool used by terrorists. Anyone who uses the internet uses encryption. Messaging apps, online banking, e-commerce, government websites, or your local hospital all use encryption.

A ban on encryption would make it impossible to do anything online that relies on keeping things private, like sending your credit card details or messaging your doctor.

Even if governments were willing to sacrifice their citizens online privacy, any sort of ban would be futile anyway. Anyone with a little technical know-how could write their own code to encrypt and decrypt data. In fact, the code to do so is so smallit easily fits on a t-shirt.

Another way to get rid of Mays safe spaces that has been mooted is to give security services special access to encrypted messages, so-called back doors. Again this is impractical.

If a master key was created that allowed security services to bypass encryption it would immediately become a target for hackers. Anyone feeling hostile could focus their efforts on cracking the master key, and in doing so would not just get access to one persons data, but everyones.

Whats more, despite members of the government once again insisting on the need to ban or bypass encryption, we still have no details on how they plan to achieve it.

Theresa Mays response is predictable but disappointing, saysPaul Bernalat the University of East Anglia, UK. If you stop safe places for terrorists, you stop safe places for everyone, and we rely on those safe places for a great deal of our lives.

Last month New Scientist called fora greater understanding of technology among politicians. Until that happens, having a reasonable conversation about how best to tackle extremism online will remain out of reach.

The internet is a convenient scapegoat and a distraction from the awkward questions that might otherwise be asked about things like foreign policy and arms sales, says Bernal.

Read more:

Why breaking encryption is a bad idea that could never work

How 2016s war on encryption will change your way of life

WhatsApp enables encryption and ramps up for government fight

More on these topics:

More here:
Theresa May's repeated calls to ban encryption still won't work - New Scientist