Small thread about #privacy #backdoors in #encryption and everyone's right to decide what remains private based on @ProtonPrivacy writing :
First and foremost - there is no such thing as a backdoor that only lets the good guys in!
Second and equally important - weakening encrypted services will only put #ordinary #citizens at risk while doing remarkably little to stop tech-savvy criminals.
If thereās a āmaster keyā that unlocks millions of accounts, every hacker on the planet will be after it. And they will eventually get it.
A compromised #encryption #backdoor would give cybercriminals access to your digital life - bank, emails, messages, etc.
That goes for states and state agencies too...you're good until you piss whoever is at the helm at the moment off with something.
You donāt think hackers can steal the master key from a good state agency? Think again.
Both the CIA and the NSA were breached in 2017 by mysterious organizations protonmail.com/blog/cia-wikileaks-encryption that stole and published the spy agenciesā hacking tools.
The same year, cyber criminals stole an NSA exploit and used it in a massive, worldwide ransomware attack
protonmail.com/blog/nsa-ransomware-nhs-cyberattack/.
The fact is, if the government or anyone else controls a master key, eventually it will get out.
Hackers arenāt the only threat: Governments may also use encryption backdoors for harm. The US government has already revealed its willingness to spy on citizens without a warrant
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA_warrantless_surveillance_(2001%E2%80%932007).
If liberal democracies cannot be trusted, what about China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, or countless other authoritarian states?
Encryption backdoors could be used by repressive regimes to help them persecute journalists, dissidents, religious minorities, the LGBT community, and anyone else they please.
Moreover, encryption backdoors do not prevent criminals from using encryption some other way. The software to use end-to-end encryption is already out there, and criminals will always have access to strong cryptography.
Itās time to put the encryption backdoor debate to rest. Any system with a backdoor is fundamentally insecure. If everyday applications and hardware were forced to implement an encryption backdoor, it would jeopardize the basic security of millions of people.
Backdoor advocates surely have good intentionsāwe all want to stop terroristsābut their approach is misguided and dangerous.
(notes from Proton's blog: protonmail.com/blog/encryption-backdoor/)
Pete Bright š
@NewFounderCoach
Building & operating companies in tech for 20+yrs, now helping founders turn SW&HW ideas into š businessesš°// built 12, exited 4 and worked with 100+companies