Two major hi-tech industry groups have sent an open letter to Obama, asking him to reconsider any policies he has regarding weakening encryption in order to help authorities enforce order.
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), which describes itself as the “voice of the technology sector,” and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) from Silicon Valleyare considered among the most powerful technology companies on the planet. The same list also includes Microsoft, Lenovo, Facebook, EMC, Google, Oracle, Sony and Symantec.
The letter explains in detail the importance of strong encryption as an “essential element of the global digital infrastructure,” which brings consumer confidence in the privacy of services and transactions. It also adds that if the US decides to proceed with such a policy, it will “legitimize” similar actions in other countries, threatening global markets as well as reducing individual liberties.
The Obamahas become increasingly tough on strong encryption.
Very recently , FBI Deputy Director Michael Steinbach was summoned to the White House by Obama for a hearing on a new law that would allow authorities to access encrypted communications, if they first had court consent.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameronwas widely criticized for making similar statements before the last election.
Now that the Conservative party has won an outright majority, it is believed that it will try to bring the bill back to the fore, which, among other things, will try to address the issue of encrypted communications.
