Why Rudd is wrong about online encryption – The Times

August 4 2017, 12:00am,The Times

Edward Lucas

Giving the state access to encrypted phones wont stop terrorist attacks and would weaken security for the rest of us

Encryption is one of the words that make most readers hurriedly turn the page. Yet if you ever use a plastic payment card, you benefit from it. If you ever let your personal details be stored on someone elses database, you rely on it. If you ever use a password on your computer, you use it. Contrary to the home secretarys assertion this week that strong encryption is not a priority for real people, these are applications that real people depend on.

Most people, perhaps even Amber Rudd, do not understand the maths behind encryption. But its effects are simple enough. The internet, a deeply insecure computer network, has become the central nervous system of modern civilisation. Encryption gives us the best chance of protecting

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Why Rudd is wrong about online encryption - The Times