We Need More Protection from Government Surveillance — Not Less

Tags: 2020s Backdoors Human Rights Regulated Encryption

Authors: McGowan, Iverna and Naranjo, Diego and Koomen, Maria and Beltrà, Guillermo and Preiss, Omri and Massé, Estelle and Cohn, Cindy and Stollmeyer, Alice and Bukovská, Barbora and Dusepulchre, Gaelle and Anderson, Andrew and Skoric, Vanja and Westby, Joe and Keller, Paul

Published: July 2021

URL: https://www.politico.eu/article/we-need-more-protection-government-surveillance-not-less/

Abstract: A group of user- and human-rights advocates jointly write an article published by Politico in response to Catherine de Bolle and Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.s, “The Last Refuge of the Criminal: Encypted Smartphones.” They describe the importance of encryption to democracy and human rights in the face of increasing pressure by government for tech-company-assisted surveillance, citing multiple groups that depend upon encryption for privacy and physical safety: from investigative journalists to subjects of authoritarian governments to members of the LGBTQ+ community. They argue that encryption is, by definition, binary, that “regulated encryption” is a euphemism for backdoors—and, fundamentally, that encryption is sorely needed as a basic protection around the globe.