“Five Eyes” Governments Respond to Coalition Demands to Stop Undermining Encryption
Tags: 2010s Five Eyes
Authors: Cyphers, Bennett and Stepanovich, Amie
Published: October 2017
Abstract: Status update on the Five Eyes governments' position on encryptionIn October of 2017, Amie Stepanovich and Bennett Cyphers of Access Now, wrote regarding the organization’s decision to join the more than 80 members of civil society from the “Five Eyes” countries in a letter calling on government leaders to protect strong encryption, and the responses received to date. The letter called for “an unequivocal rejection of laws, policies or other mandates or practices—including secret agreements with companies—that limit access to or undermine encryption and other secure communications tools and technologies.” At the time of writing, the signatories had received responses from three of the five nations which comprise the Five Eyes: New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom. New Zealand acknowledged receipt of the letter, expressed a continued interest in the use, and signified plans to have their Directors of National Security Policy and Cyber Policy meet with the New Zealand based groups that signed the letter. Canada’s response embodied much of the debate over encryption, expressing the law enforcement challenges encryption poses as well as the importance of encryption for the rights and freedoms of Canadians online. The Canadian government, at the time of writing, had yet to commit to a public position on encryption. The United Kingdom’s response was the most exhaustive. It listed actions taken by the government in acknowledgment of freedom of expression and privacy, recognized the role encryption plays in the digital economy, and expressed the UK government’s belief that law enforcement and intelligence services need to be able to gain specific information about what “serious criminals and terrorists are doing online, without compromising wider safety and security” for lawful users.