Does it protect organizations from spying eyes or increase threats? The answer may be more complicated than you think…
FBI is seeking more power to gain access to encrypted messages
Earlier this year, White House Officials opted not to press for specific legislation that would give the FBI more power, however, since the recent Paris and San Bernardino attacks, things have changed. Lawmakers have been pushing for new changes in legislation pertaining to encryption that will give lawmakers the ability to easily decode encrypted messages in the future.
Many encryption experts have indicated that although this may make decoding messages between terrorists less difficult, allowing lawmakers “back door” access would provide an even easier way for hackers to decode them as well. Leaving us to wonder if the very means that lawmakers are seeking to protect us will prove to lessen our protection from a data breach.
Security protection vs security threats
Many companies both use and promote encryption as a means to tighten security from hackers and spying eyes. Encrypted messages, such as those protected via end-to-end encryption, have provided organizations with a safe and secure way to communicate with one another because only the sender and receiver can see these encrypted messages.
But what about people who are using these same encryptions to organize covertly planned terrorist attacks? This is a debate that both lawmakers and government officials have been mulling over for quite some time now. And of course, it’s an important topic that needs to be discussed and considered at length.
Is It worth it?
Legislating a change to encryption in Congress is going to be tough, and even if a change can and does happen, will it be worth the security holes that this will create for reputable organizations? Although legislating a change will make it somewhat easier to decode terrorist communications, there is more than enough technology outside of the US that terrorists could use to shield their conversations.
This is a conundrum that has prompted Congress and Lawmakers to focus on possible solutions that could be brokered rather than just passing an iron-clad law. At any rate, these recent discussions may force many companies to consider changes to the way they secure confidential information, depending on the outcome.
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