US attorney general William Barr says Americans should accept security risks of encryption backdoors

guest · Jun 10, 2020

Congress seeks answers on Juniper Networks breach amid encryption fight
June 10, 2020
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ks-breach-amid-encryption-fight-idUSKBN23H2C9

A group of U.S. lawmakers preparing to fight a legislative attack on encrypted communications is trying to establish what happened when encryption was subverted at a Silicon Valley maker of networking gear.

Democrat Ron Wyden, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the 2015 incident at Sunnyvale-based Juniper Networks could shed light on the risks of compromised encryption before an expected hearing on the proposed legislation.
The EARN IT Act could penalize companies that offer security that law enforcement can’t easily penetrate.

“Attorney General (William) Barr is demanding that companies like Facebook weaken their encryption to allow the Department of Justice to monitor users’ conversations,” Wyden told Reuters.
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“Juniper’s experiences can provide a valuable case study about the dangers of back doors, as well as the apparent ease with which government back doors can be covertly subverted by a sophisticated actor,” the elected officials wrote to Juniper.
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guest · Jun 24, 2020

Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Destroy End-to-End Encryption
June 23, 2020
https://pxlnv.com/linklog/republican-encryption-bill/

Alfred Ng, CNet:

On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers introduced the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act, which calls for an end to “warrant-proof” encryption that’s disrupted criminal investigations.
The bill was proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, along with Sens. Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn. If passed, the act would require tech companies to help investigators access encrypted data if that assistance would help carry out a warrant.

It may not require a specific implementation, but eradicating meaningful encryption by introducing vulnerabilities is exactly what this bill mandates:

The debate over encryption and lawful access has raged on, unresolved, for years. The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act would bring an end to warrant-proof encryption in devices, platforms, and systems.
Pay little attention to the deliberate use of “warrant-proof” to describe end-to-end encryption. All end-to-end encryption is unable to be accessed by anyone other than the users at each endpoint; that is, almost always, a very good thing.
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There are clearly concerns about what nefarious users of end-to-end encryption are hiding, but requiring everyone to bend to that level means that we all become vulnerable. Making it easier for law enforcement to look into the activities of terrible people makes it easier for terrible people to take advantage of everyone else.
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guest · Jun 24, 2020

Statement from Attorney General William P. Barr on Introduction of Lawful Access Bill in Senate
June 23, 2020
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/stat...p-barr-introduction-lawful-access-bill-senate

Today, Attorney General William P. Barr issued the following statement on the introduction of a bill that would give law enforcement access to critical digital evidence if permitted by a court while also protecting privacy. The legislation is sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, and Marsha Blackburn.

“Passing legislation that allows warrant access to encrypted data will allow law enforcement to further provide for the safety and security of the American people. I applaud Chairman Graham and Senators Cotton and Blackburn for introducing the first-ever bill to address this issue.
Indeed, the danger is particularly great for children who are targeted online [...] We cannot allow these companies to elevate their profits and the privacy rights of these abusers over the safety and security of children.
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The bill announced today balances the privacy interests of consumers with the public safety interests of the community by requiring the makers of consumer devices to provide law enforcement with access to encrypted data when authorized by a judge.
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guest · Jun 25, 2020

mood said: ↑

Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Destroy End-to-End Encryption June 23, 2020
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Senators Propose a Cool New Contest To Destroy Your Online Privacy
June 24, 2020
https://reason.com/2020/06/24/senators-propose-a-cool-new-contest-to-destroy-your-online-privacy/

But there's a problem that the DOJ and these senators still aren't taking seriously: It's impossible to create a mechanism for bypassing encryption that cannot end up in the wrong hands. An encryption key or "back door" can be used by anybody who learns how it works, whether that person is an identity thief or a foreign government.

The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act isn't contending with that problem. The summary says that the attorney general can't issue a directive with "specific technical steps for implementing the required capabilities"—meaning that the attorney general cannot specifically order encryption "back doors." But if the attorney general can nevertheless order companies to "assist" and make data accessible to the feds, it is, in all the ways that matter, ordering a back door.
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EFF: The Senate’s New Anti-Encryption Bill Is Even Worse Than EARN IT, and That’s Saying Something

But if EARN IT attempts to avoid acknowledging the elephant in the room, the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act puts it at the center of a three-ring circus. The new bill doesn’t bother with commissions or best practices. Instead, it would give the Justice Department the ability to require that manufacturers of encrypted devices and operating systems, communications providers, and many others must have the ability to decrypt data upon request. In other words, a backdoor.
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Palancar · Jun 26, 2020

All of these USA proposals will not have any legal impact upon services out of its jurisdiction. e.g. Protonmail, Tutanota, etc..... If they try and block them users will just TOR or VPN to them and conduct their business that way. If need be go a step further and encrypt locally (GPG type stuff). That way any interception will be worthless to the one making the capture of data.

My long term stance is that I am expecting a SHOW DOWN (someday not too far off) in the Supreme Court over the 5th on encryption and password compulsion. That decision will be the end all for a long time to come.

mirimir · Jun 26, 2020

Palancar said: ↑

If they try and block them users will just TOR or VPN to them and conduct their business that way.
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Right. Their next move would be blocking use of VPNs, Tor, I2P, Orchid, LokiNet, and other anonymous overlay networks. That's how it is, more or less, in China and some of the Middle East, for example. But Russia isn't even there, yet. And I find it hard to imagine how the US would go that far, unless something really serious provided justification.

guest · Jun 30, 2020

Tell Your Senator: Vote No on the EARN IT Act
June 30, 2020
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/tell-your-senator-vote-no-earn-it-act

This month, Americans are out in the streets, demanding police accountability. But rather than consider reform proposals, a key Senate committee is focused on giving unprecedented powers to law enforcement—including the ability to break into our private messages by creating encryption backdoors.

This Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to debate and vote on the so-called EARN IT Act, S. 3398. It’s a law that would allow the government to scan every message sent online. The EARN IT Act creates a 19-person commission that would be dominated by law enforcement agencies, with Attorney General William Barr at the top.
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Proponents of EARN IT say that the bill isn’t about encryption or privacy
But it’s perfectly clear what the sponsors’ priorities are. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), one of EARN IT’s cosponsors, has introduced another bill that’s a direct attack on encrypted messaging. And Barr has said over and over again that encrypted services should be forced to offer police special access.

This bill is a power grab by police. We need your help to stop it today. Contact your Senator and tell them to oppose the EARN IT Act.
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guest · Jul 2, 2020

Controversial EARN IT Act clears Senate committee
July 2, 2020
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/earn-it-act-clears-senate-committee/

The EARN IT Act, a controversial bill that has been criticized as a threat to encryption, was approved by a Senate committee on Thursday.

The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (EARN IT) passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and is ostensibly intended to combat child pornography online, but critics say will kill online encryption and stifle free speech on the internet.
The bill amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives internet companies universal liability from suit for conduct on their platforms, by stripping protection when users share child porn on their sites.

Under an amendment added yesterday by the bill co-sponsors, the bill now opens the door for federal civil and state civil and criminal claims to be made against internet companies based on state laws.
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The bill’s critics were unswayed.

“This deeply flawed bill would give the [Department of Justice] and a panel of unelected mostly law enforcement officials unprecedented power over the Internet,” tweeted Fight for the Future following the bill’s passage.
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guest · Sep 20, 2020

Senate’s encryption backdoor bill is ‘dangerous for Americans,’ says Rep. Lofgren
September 21, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/20/encryption-backdoor-bill-dangerous-lofgren/

Senate bill that would compel tech companies to build backdoors to allow law enforcement access to encrypted devices and data would be “very dangerous” for Americans, said a leading House Democrat.

Law enforcement frequently spars with tech companies over their use of strong encryption, which protects user data from hackers and theft, but the government says makes it harder to catch criminals accused of serious crime. Tech companies like Apple and Google have in recent years doubled down on their security efforts by securing data with encryption that even they cannot unlock.

Senate Republicans in June introduced their latest “lawful access” bill, renewing previous efforts to force tech companies to allow law enforcement access to a user’s data when presented with a court order.

“If we eliminate encryption, we’re just opening ourselves up to massive hacking and disruption,” she said.
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Lofgren’s comments echo those of critics and security experts, who have long criticized efforts to undermine encryption, arguing that there is no way to build a backdoor for law enforcement that could not also be exploited by hackers.

Still, it’s a talking point that the government continues to push, even as recently as this year when U.S. Attorney General William Barr said that Americans should accept the security risks that encryption backdoors pose.

“You cannot eliminate encryption safely,” Lofgren told TechCrunch. “And if you do, you will create chaos in the country and for Americans, not to mention others around the world,” she said. “It’s just an unsafe thing to do, and we can’t permit it.”
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guest · Oct 11, 2020

Five Eyes nations plus Japan and India call for Big Tech to bake backdoors into everything
Or as they put it: ‘Embed the safety of the public in system designs … facilitating the investigation and prosecution of offences’
October 11, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/10...nton_end_to_end_encryption_and_public_safety/

The nations of the Five Eyes security alliance – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA and the UK – plus Japan and India, have called on technology companies to design their products so they offer access to encrypted messages and content.
A joint “International Statement” issued on Sunday frames the issue as a matter of public safety.

“We, the undersigned, support strong encryption, which plays a crucial role in protecting personal data, privacy, intellectual property, trade secrets and cyber security,” the Statement commences, adding: “Encryption is an existential anchor of trust in the digital world and we do not support counter-productive and dangerous approaches that would materially weaken or limit security systems.”
It’s not just the public that is at risk, the statement argues.

The Statement ends with the signatory nations saying they “… challenge the assertion that public safety cannot be protected without compromising privacy or cyber security. [...]”
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This new Statement seems to reflect the fact that even those instruments prove ineffective when access is allowed, but results only in finds of encrypted content that cannot be read.
The Register has asked Facebook, Google and Apple for comment on the Statement and will update this story if any offers substantive comment.
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DoJ: International Statement: End-To-End Encryption and Public Safety

We urge industry to address our serious concerns where encryption is applied in a way that wholly precludes any legal access to content. We call on technology companies to work with governments to take the following steps, focused on reasonable, technically feasible solutions:

Embed the safety of the public in system designs, thereby enabling companies to act against illegal content and activity effectively with no reduction to safety, and facilitating the investigation and prosecution of offences and safeguarding the vulnerable;

Enable law enforcement access to content in a readable and usable format where an authorisation is lawfully issued, is necessary and proportionate, and is subject to strong safeguards and oversight; and

Engage in consultation with governments and other stakeholders to facilitate legal access in a way that is substantive and genuinely influences design decisions.

SIGNATORIES [...] William P. Barr, Attorney General of the United States [...]
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guest · Oct 13, 2020

mood said: ↑

Five Eyes nations plus Japan and India call for Big Tech to bake backdoors into everything October 11, 2020
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India joins the idiotic global alliance calling for encyption backdoors
October 13, 2020
https://thenextweb.com/in/2020/10/1...bal-alliance-calling-for-encyption-backdoors/

Late last week, India signed a letter with Japan and Five Eyes Alliance (USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) asking tech companies to build backdoors in their end-to-end encrypted systems to enable law enforcement and other authorities to snoop on communications.
With this move, these countries are making the same old argument about encryption.

It’s strange that while other countries have a designated signatory from the government named in the letter, neither India nor Japan has an authority mentioned.
However, India’s call for encryption backdoors is not entirely surprising. In past, they’ve put pressure on Facebook-owned WhatsApp to open up its encryption after misinformative messages on the chat app [...]
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Prasanth Sugathan, the legal director of Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), a New Delhi-based digital rights organizations, said that India’s lack of a data protection bill can put the power of unregulated surveillance in the hands of the government:

India currently does not have judicial oversight on surveillance and the Personal Data Protection Bill does not address the issue of state surveillance. This proposal is problematic because it gives excessive powers to the law enforcement agencies of these countries. They can now get easy access to information on users who rely on Signal and WhatsApp to communicate on sensitive matters.
Apart from the letter, there’s been no statement by the Indian government till now. So, it’s hard to know what exactly the country is planning to do after showing its intent to endorse backdoors.
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guest · Nov 9, 2020

EU inches closer to ban on end-to-end encryption
November 8, 2020
https://www.itpro.co.uk/security/35...ests-eu-ban-on-end-to-end-encryption-imminent

The Council of the European Union appears to have a near-completed resolution that would propose a ban on the use of end-to-end encryption on off-the-shelf apps such as WhatsApp and Signal, according to a leaked document.

The memo, dated 6 November and addressed to representatives from EU member states, reveals that strong encryption remains a priority for lawmakers but that the availability of end-to-end encryption has made it overly difficult for law enforcement to conduct investigations.

“Encryption is an anchor of confidence in digitalisation and in protection of fundamental rights and should be promoted and developed,” the document states, however, there are “instances where encryption renders analysis of the content of communications in the framework of access to electronic evidence extremely challenging or practically impossible despite the fact that the access to such data would be lawful.”
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It’s argued that, moving forward, the EU hopes to “establish an active discussion” with the tech industry in order to create a “balance” between maintaining the principles of strong encryption and allowing authorities to access data in a lawful manner.
The proposals in the document, alongside any revisions, are expected to be presented for endorsement on 19 November, with further representations on 25 November and adoption by the Council shortly thereafter.
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Digital privacy groups have consistently argued that it’s impossible to create a secure corridor that law enforcement agencies can use to access encrypted data without that corridor being inevitably exploited by cyber criminals.

“Security experts understand that the EU government’s contention that ‘strong encryption technology’ can coexist with purposefully designed backdoors is contrary to the principles of robust cryptography.”
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guest · Nov 9, 2020

What’s all this about Europe wanting crypto backdoors?
November 9, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/whats-all-this-about-europe-wanting-crypto-backdoors/

A press report emerged over the weekend claiming European lawmakers who are worried about terrorism are speeding towards a ban on end-to-end encryption. Spoiler: It’s a little more nuanced than that. Read on for our break down of what’s actually going on…
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Is Europe about to ban E2E Encryption?
No.
A report in the Austrian press yesterday appeared to suggest a ban incoming on end-to-end encryption which the headline linked to a recent terror attack in the country. In fact there have been discussions ongoing between Member States on the topic of encryption — and whether/how to regulate it — for several years now.
One Commission insider we spoke to who’s involved in cyber security strategy couched the resolution as a “political gesture” — and most likely an empty one.
What does the CoEU draft resolution actually say?
It starts by asserting the EU’s full support for “the development, implementation and use of strong encryption” — which would be a very odd position to hold if you also intended to ban E2EE.

Instead the resolution moves on to call for discussion of how to ensure the powers of competent security and criminal justice authorities can be preserved — while ensuring full respect for due legal process and EU rights and freedoms [...]
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Does the draft resolution call for encryption to be backdoored?
No.
So the push here — beyond the overarching political push to be seen to be doing something ‘pro-security’ — is for ways to improve targeted access to data but also that such targeting respect key EU principles that link to fundamental rights (like privacy of communications).
So there’s nothing to be worried about then?
Well, the Commission may feel some pressure over the issue as it works on its new cyber strategy so it could get some political push on specific policy ideas — although we’re unlikely to see anything much on this front before next year.

“It’s not getting even near to banning E2EE. It appears they do not know what to do exactly. So among the ideas is to perhaps set up a ‘high level expert group’ — the document speaks about engaging ‘academia’. [...]
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“What I find of particular importance is coining the term ‘security despite encryption’. It is both unfortunate and ingenious. [...] “Where the fallout would lead is anyone’s guess. I believe this process is far from over.”

“Undermining encryption is a tricky territory because modern technology goes in a direction of more security, not less. In modern security ecosystems it would be hard to imagine a lawful intercept functionality known from the telecommunication infrastructure. For private business it’s also a question of trust. Can the individual users freely move their social interactions online even further? It’s a question measured in billions of dollars.”
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guest · Nov 29, 2020

UK infoseccer launches petition asking government not to backdoor encryption
November 27, 2020
https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/27/encryption_backdoor_petition/

A UK infosec bod has launched a petition asking the government if it would please drop its plans to install backdoors in end-to-end encryption.

Application security specialist Sean Wright's Parliamentary petition comes as an expression of uneasiness at long-signalled plans for British state agencies to sidestep encryption and enable snooping on private citizens' online conversations at will.
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The so-called "ghost user" proposal, the latest incarnation of which was dreamt up by folk from eavesdropping agency GCHQ, prompted an international backlash last year from luminaries such as Bruce Schneier and Richard Stallman.
Critics have warned that a backdoor, once discovered, is open to everyone – regardless of whether they have "permission" to use it or not.

Wright told The Register today of his anti-backdoor petition: "From what's been proposed, I don't see a way of protecting privacy without having an impact on others, especially legitimate users."
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Why I'm Opposed to Encryption "Backdoor" Proposals

The UK has been proposing the notion of backdoors in the encryption used by popular online services which offer end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Snapchat.
This went quiet for a while until October 2020 when calls these proposals were renewed (along with representatives from Japan and India).

So, while I do see the request and desire for what is being proposed, I simply fail to see it being implemented securely in practice.
But I do want to ensure that the appropriate questions are being asked, and that they are in fact dealt with. This is one of the reasons why I have created an official petition against the proposals:

Petition: Do not require encryption services to establish backdoors to enable data access
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guest · Dec 14, 2020

EU Council wants secure encryption and lawful data access
December 14, 2020
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/14/eu-council-wants-secure-encryption-and-lawful-data-access/

The Council of the European Union, the body which represents individual EU Member States’ governments, has adopted a resolution on encryption — calling for what they dub “security through encryption and security despite encryption”.

“Competent authorities must be able to access data in a lawful and targeted manner, in full respect of fundamental rights and the relevant data protection laws, while upholding cybersecurity,” the Council writes.
Last month a draft Council resolution was reported by some European media outlets as signifying EU political leaders were pushing for a ban on end-to-end encryption, although neither the draft text nor the final document (published today) calls explicitly for that. On the contrary, both express support for “the development, implementation and use of strong encryption”.
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The Council also characterizes it as “extremely important” that the privacy and security of comms through encryption is protected — whilst simultaneously “upholding the possibility for competent authorities in the area of security and criminal justice to lawfully access relevant data for legitimate, clearly defined purposes in fighting serious and/or organized crimes and terrorism, including in the digital world, and upholding the rule of law”.

But they definitely want to involve the technology industry in this latest futile effort to make encryption a malleable oxymoron, as the resolution talks explicitly about “joining forces with the tech industry”.
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Last week EU lawmakers also said they’ll work to support ‘lawful’ data access, as part of wide-ranging counter-terrorism agenda — with the Commission committing to “work with Member States to identify possible legal, operational, and technical solutions for lawful access and promote an approach which both maintains the effectiveness of encryption in protecting privacy and security of communications, while providing an effective response to crime and terrorism”.

But, again, nothing in that agenda went beyond talk of identifying ‘possible solutions’ for lawful access to encrypted data — even as EU lawmakers committed to maintaining the effectiveness of encryption in the same breath.
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hawki · Dec 15, 2020

"I'm saving my 'What about SolarWinds?' for the next time the FBI tries to tell me that backdooring end-to-end encryption will be fine because the US government will protect the keys."

https://twitter.com/evacide/status/1338672207581474816

guest · Dec 18, 2020

Europol Presents Tool to Combat Encryption Misuse
December 18, 2020
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/13552-europol-presents-tool-to-combat-encryption-misuse

Europol, in close cooperation with the European Commission's Joint Research Center, launched a new platform to help police break encrypted messaging systems used by criminals, the European law enforcement agency announced in a statement Friday.
The platform will be operated by Europol’s Cyber Crime Centre (EC3).

The news comes shortly after the Europe Union signalled its desire to give police greater access to encrypted communications.
Though an important tool in crime fighting, the decision was still met with skepticism across the continent.
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Europol however claims that the new platform, which will be available to law enforcement agencies throughout the EU member states, will work “in full respect of fundamental rights and without limiting or weakening encryption.”

“This decryption platform will help police to investigate terrorism and serious and organized criminality, and will also be important in the fight against online child sexual abuse,” according to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.
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reasonablePrivacy · Dec 18, 2020

mood said: ↑

Europol however claims that the new platform, which will be available to law enforcement agencies throughout the EU member states, will work “in full respect of fundamental rights and without limiting or weakening encryption.”
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But proposed UE legislation will limit and weaken encryption.

hawki · Dec 21, 2020

hawki said: ↑

"I'm saving my 'What about SolarWinds?' for the next time the FBI tries to tell me that backdooring end-to-end encryption will be fine because the US government will protect the keys."

https://twitter.com/evacide/status/1338672207581474816
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"Solarwinds cyberattack on Treasury 'appears to be significant'...

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said on Monday that a cyberattack at the Department of Treasury reported by media outlets last week 'appears to be significant.'

Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the statement after the committee’s staff was briefed by the Treasury Department and the IRS about the hack of the IT company SolarWinds.

Senator Wyden then slammed government officials who have been 'advocating for encryption backdoors, and ignoring warnings from cybersecurity experts who said that encryption keys become irresistible targets for hackers.'

'The US Governmment has now suffered a breach that seems to involve skilled hackers stealing encryption keys from US Government servers,' he said..."

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/...rattack-on-treasury-appears-to-be-significant

hawki · Jun 4, 2021

"Google, Facebook And Chaos Computer Club Join To Fight New German Law Allowing Government Spies And Police To Use Trojans Against Innocent Citizens...

One of the curious aspects of Germany's surveillance activities is the routine use of so-called "state trojans" -- software that is placed surreptitiously on a suspect's system by the authorities to allow it to be monitored and controlled in real time over the Internet. The big advantage of this approach is that it lets intelligence agencies get around end-to-end encryption without needing backdoors in the code. Instead, the trojan sits at one end of the conversation, outside the encryption, which lets it eavesdrop without any problem. This approach goes back at least a decade, and now seems to be an accepted technique in the country...

The new law would require Internet service providers to cooperate actively in installing trojans on their customers' devices..."

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...d&utm_campaign=Feed: techdirt/feed (Techdirt)

Minimalist · Jun 11, 2021

The FBI's Anom Stunt Rattles the Encryption Debate

Last fall, dozens of boxes stacked with tuna cans left Ecuador on a ship destined for Belgium. Upon arrival, the shipment was picked up by law enforcement, who found that the tins were not full of line-caught albacore but over 1,300 pounds of cocaine, packed in tidy little pucks. The seizure wasn't a stroke of luck, though, or even a routine search. Belgian authorities knew the drugs would be there, because they'd read the encrypted text messages of the criminals who allegedly sent it.
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https://www.wired.com/story/fbi-anom-phone-network-encryption-debate/

guest · Aug 9, 2021

Canberra asks big tech to introduce detection capabilities in encrypted communication
August 9, 2021
https://www.zdnet.com/article/canbe...tion-capabilities-in-encrypted-communication/

The Australian government has prepared a set of draft rules that requires the likes of social media companies to adhere to if they want to provide a service down under.

While failure to comply with reporting requirements could see the provider slapped with a AU$555,000 fine, the draft rules also build in encryption-busting expectations.
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Australia's eSafety Commissioner from January will have sweeping new powers afforded to her under the Online Safety Act 2020. Such powers include oversight of new set of Basic Online Safety Expectations (BOSE) that sets out a series of demands for big tech.
These expectations [PDF] will apply to service providers including social media; "relevant electronic service of any kind", such as messaging apps and games; and other designated internet services, such as websites.

The rules, however, as currently drafted, mandate that if the service uses encryption, the provider of the service will take reasonable steps to develop and implement processes to detect and address material or activity on the service that is or may be unlawful or harmful.
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guest · Aug 16, 2021

US Senate bill would legally require Apple to build a backdoor into iPhones
August 16, 2021
https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/16/us-s...quire-apple-to-build-a-backdoor-into-iphones/

A bill being proposed in the US Senate would effectively make it a legal requirement for Apple to build a backdoor into iPhones. It would make it illegal for Apple and other tech giants to use strong encryption for either devices or cloud services.

It would force Apple to have a means of accessing customer data on both the devices it sells and the cloud services it operates…
Dave Mark drew my attention to The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act.
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The bill opens by saying that when a manufacturer is presented with a search warrant, it will assist in accessing the data. That’s no different to the position today: Apple will provide whatever assistance it can when presented with a lawful demand.

However, the company currently has no way to unlock an iPhone, and that’s the part this bill seeks to change. It would make a backdoor into devices a legal requirement for anyone selling more than a million devices in the US.

A device manufacturer that sold more than 1,000,000 consumer electronic devices in the United States in 2016 or any calendar year thereafter, or that has received an assistance capability directive under section 3513, shall ensure that the manufacturer has the ability to provide the assistance described in subsection (b)(2) for any consumer electronic device that the manufacturer designs, manufactures, fabricates, or assembles; and intends for sale or distribution in the United States.
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Note here that Apple would no longer be able to shrug and say it can’t access locked iPhones, because the first part quoted means that it must by law be able to do so.
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guest · Nov 22, 2021

Meta delays full Facebook and Instagram message encryption to 2023
That's significantly later than the company's earlier suggested timeline.
November 21, 2021
https://www.engadget.com/meta-facebook-instagram-default-message-encryption-164246622.html

Meta's push for a more private experience will take longer than the company initially hoped. According to The Guardian, safety head Antigone Davis wrote a commentary for The Telegraph warning that the rollout of default end-to-end encrypted messaging in Facebook Messenger and Instagram was delayed to "sometime in 2023." The social media firm had originally planned for the move to wrap up as soon as 2022, but it wanted the extra time to "get this right," Davis said.

The delay could lead to awkward timing, at least in the UK. The country is enacting a safety law in 2023 that will require tech companies to prevent abuse and safeguard children. While it doesn't require encryption backdoors, current UK home secretary Priti Patel hasn't been shy about opposing default encryption — she claimed it would "severely" limit law enforcement's ability to pursue criminals. Meta might face pressure to change its plans by the time the law takes effect.
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Davis said Meta would still have the power to detect abuse through a combination of unencrypted info and user reports. The delay might also offer time to reassure governments and head off potential conflicts.
Chat encryption isn't under immediate threat, then, but the longer timeframe adds some uncertainty.
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guest · Dec 23, 2021

How we fought an anti encryption law in Belgium - and won!
December 21, 2021

Oftentimes when governments announce plans to weaken citizens' privacy rights for the sake of 'security', the public outcry is loud and clear: If you weaken security in online services to catch criminals, you weaken the security online for all citizens. However, oftentimes this warning is ignored by governments.
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Belgian encryption backdoor law
In June 2021, the Belgian government proposed a draft law called "Law on the collection and storage of identification, traffic and location data in the electronic communications sector and their access by the authorities", or short, "the Data Retention Legislation". This draft included a passage that would have forced companies such as WhatsApp and Signal to decrypt their encrypted chats upon request by the authorities for criminal investigation.

This law would have been the worst in Europe, worse than the Snoopers' Charter in the UK or the EARN IT bill in the USA.
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Public protest against Belgian law
Thus, the Belgian government did not have to wait long for the public outcry: Belgian intellectuals like Professor Bart Preneel said that "by putting a backdoor into Whatsapp, you would make it less safe for everyone".

We at Tutanota supported the public protest by sending an open letter written by the Global Encryption Coalition together with more than 100 security experts, NGOs and companies to the Belgian government explaining the importance of encryption: [...]
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US attorney general William Barr says Americans should accept security risks of encryption backdoors

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US attorney general William Barr says Americans should accept security risks of encryption backdoors

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