Government in the US says encryption will hinder investigative crimes ranging from child abuse to drug trafficking and terrorism
While the newest Apple Inc. and Google Inc. smartphones will automatically encrypt data stored on them, that will not keep US law enforcement and intelligence agencies from obtaining evidence linked to the devices.
Marketing by the two companies in which they pledge to shield photos,
documents, contact lists and other data from the prying eyes of government
or hackers won plaudits from privacy advocates. It also drew condemnation
from US attorney general Eric Holder, FBI director James Comey and local
police officials who say it will make it harder to investigate crimes
ranging from child abuse to drug trafficking and terrorism.
Those assertions “are wildly exaggerated” because police can still obtain
evidence through traditional court warrants while revelations about
government spying show the National Security Agency can break or bypass
encryption for terrorism investigations, said Jonathan Turley, a
constitutional-law professor at the George Washington University Law School.
“Citizens should not assume that these encryption devices will necessarily
prevent government from intercepting communications,” Mr Turley said. “If
history is any guide, the government will find a way to penetrate these
devices.”
The issue has renewed tension between law enforcement and intelligence
agencies and technology companies trying to stand up for the privacy rights
of their users. Apple, Google and other companies have been trying to
restore their reputations after revelations by former NSA contractor Edward
Snowden that they cooperated with government spying programs in the
past.
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