546 Reasons Why America Should Reject Encryption 'Backdoors'

Right now policymakers are deliberating a touchy question: Should governments force tech companies to insert “backdoors,” or intentional access points into their encrypted products?

Doing so would presumably aid law enforcement officials in their criminal and counter-terrorism investigations. (Otherwise they would be shut out from reading or intercepting certain data.) Yet any “backdoor” in a consumer product could also be exploited by hackers or spies, technologists warn.

Enter Bruce Schneier. The crypto expert and best-selling author has spent the last few months bolstering an economic case for why the U.S. should reject any proposed mandates for “backdoored” encryption. In fact, Schneier counts 546 reasons.

A chain of security, is only as strong as it's weakest link, and the ethics found in that weak link.

Given the politics we have in place, where political affiliation justifies any action, including sending extremely classified through unsecured private servers, servers that are sitting in a closet in a private residence; servers that could be physically stolen, connected to the internet at another location - and the diplomat in question would never know they were missing - that is not a weak link - that is a dysfuncional, traitorous link.

Given that the Justice system, that was designed to be deaf and blind; to dispense justice EQUALLY to everyone, has been co-opted by politics, and will refuse to consider trying anyone with the proper political party affiliation credentials, to even consider a security backdoor on anything is simply foolhardy.

Forget the privacy invasion that the Gov't is eager, and already has history of abusing. Forget the Constitutional laws, that the NSA, CIA, FBI and even local police have broken to the point that the laws are meaningless, we have politicians who are not only corrupt, they are just plain stupid. By stupid, I mean short-sighted, lacking in both moral fiber and intellectual capacity, as well as incapable of critical thinking. They have sacrified intellectual pursuits for the accumulation of power.

Consider, currently the BlackBerry is used by the US Gov't for dissemination of email, texts, meetings and communications. Blackberry believes in backdoors and has them in their phones as we speak. So, it's safe to assume that the "bad guys" are already listening in on the "secure" goverment system.

Then OPM sits in befuddled amazement when all the "secure" data on Federal Employees is released by hackers. I wish I could fix stupid- I would be a very wealthy man.

Having just finished reading “The God’s Eye View” by Barry Eisler I have to say “NO!” to leaving wide open gates so our ever so benevolent bureaucrats can look around whenever they want. Was a good book, fiction maybe. Made me wonder how far they would go.

The God’s Eye View
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ref=pe_2452760_166699170_pe_ecg/?ASIN=B00XT47SOK

A well reasoned look at why intentionally weakening encryption is a bad idea. - ANDROID PING!

Android Ping! If you want on or off the Android Ping List, Freepmail me.

My take. I agree with the author. Consider: 1) Requiring back doors into encryption would weaken US businesses providing encryption products. 2) It would place US businesses forced to use compliant encryption at severe risk of cyber attack through those back doors. 3) It wouldn't work as intended on criminals since there are encryption products available from outside the US. 4) If you don't believe #3 consider that most encryption products today come from outside the US anyway.

Kind of like gun control: expecting criminals couldn't get guns/encryption illegally and that they would respect gun control / encryption laws while breaking so many others. Anyone can get encryption products. Heck, any sophomore computer science student can research encryption algorithms and create their own.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.