Going Dark, Going Forward: A Primer on the Encryption Debate

Tags: 2010s Going Dark Mobile

Authors: House Homeland Security Committee Majority Staff Report

Published: June 2016

URL: https://irp.fas.org/congress/2016_rpt/hsc-encrypt.pdf

Abstract: As part of an effort to respond to terrorist attacks including those in San Bernadino and Paris, the House Committee on Homeland Security conducted an investigation into the impact of encryption upon stakeholders across the economy, government, and law enforcement. It suggests that a framework of the debate as “privacy against security” is a mistaken dichotomy, and that the challenges are better conceptualized as tensions between various types of security (such as national and personal/commercial). Given the intricacy of the problems, it cautions against too-easy solutions and recommends continued evaluation by experts.To that end, if offers this report as a primer setting out the conflicting values, common themes, and need for a national commission on digital security to navigate these challenges going into the future.