Former National-Security Officials Suddenly See the Peril of Weakening Encryption

Tags: 2010s NSA National Security

Authors: Friedersdorf, Conor

Published: July 2015

URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/former-national-security-officials-see-the-peril-of-weakening-encryption/399848/

Abstract: This new article examines how former national security officials, after leaving their government jobs for private industry, tended to support strong encryption and argued against mandatory backdoor access. The article reported comments made by several former national security officials who had then transitioned to private industry, and the comments they made against government infringement on encryption at the Aspen Security Forum in 2015. The article points out that even those most sympathetic to the needs of law enforcement tended to support strong encryption, undermining arguments that opponents of backdoors are unserious or ignorant about the problems encryption presents to law enforcement.