29 October 2017

Punching the Wrong Bag: The Deputy AG Enters the Crypto Wars

By Susan Landau

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein gave a rather remarkable speech on encryption two weeks ago. Arguing that encryption's creation of "warrant-proof" spaces is irresponsible, the deputy attorney general suggested that Silicon Valley is putting profits over public safety. On the surface, the dots in Rosenstein's statements line up. On closer inspection, however, there are large gaps in his argument from start to finish. Because the speech may herald the next salvo in the “Crypto Wars,” it is worth examining in detail.

No comments: