Bring in the Nerds: What Policymakers need to know about Encryption and “Special Access”
The heated and very public confrontation between the FBI and Apple over the San Bernardino case in 2016 spurred a lot of talk about encryption, the technology that protects data on phones and other gadgets from unauthorized access. As the New York Times recently reported, this debate has intensified yet again following a National Academy of Sciences study of law enforcement access to encrypted data.
Despite evidence that third-party research has allowed law enforcement access to even the latest devices without assistance from the manufacturers, FBI Director Christopher Wray has restarted calls for the government and the private sector to develop a solution to the “Going Dark” problem, claiming it is a major public safety issue.
Meanwhile, a newly released audit of the San Bernardino case by the DOJ Office of Inspector General faulted the FBI for “inadequate communication” and a breakdown in internal coordination. The audit raised questions as to how forthright with Congress, the courts, and the American public the FBI was at the time. As a result, the OIG reports that federal investigators are revamping the way they get data from encrypted devices.
Please join the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) for a closed panel discussion to explain how encrypted devices provide important protections for regular consumers and why the FBI’s suggested solution puts everyone at greater risk for hacking, identity theft, and fraud.
The panel will include:
- Dr. Jeremy Gillula, Technology Policy Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Dr. Susan Landau, Bridge Professor of Cyber Security and Policy, Tufts University
- Erik Neuenschwander, Manager of User Privacy, Apple
- Dr. Matt Blaze, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania
We hope you will be able to attend this timely and important briefing. To RSVP, please click the button below by May 2 at 6pm. For more information, please contact India McKinney at india@eff.org.