Encryption Restriction Not a Solution

Encryption Restriction Not a Solution.

Encryption is widespread with today’s technology that ensure intended receivers can only receive and read that message. It is the most trending issue today about technology whether to allow the restriction or not. Government and Technology companies have started to debate giving reasons and defending their positions. Discontinuing encryption is not the solution, and it can worsen the problem. There are many clear reasons and justifications why it should not be restricted examples are it will affect safety of online transactions, it will affect everyone, criminals intend to break the law and some trust issues with the government. Ultimately, the government should not ban this technology instead they must find a different way to deal with it. In this essay, I will try to explain these important points why it should not be confined and somehow explain why others agree on it.

The first point is, digital economy will be vulnerable without encryption; everybody’s money will have less protection and confidentiality. Everett (2016) explains that the process of today’s global economy is centralized in the encryption technology. E-commerce, no online transactions would be viable if this technology is not applied. Internet banking will be prone to cyber theft. We usually do use emails to communicate online, so when the emails become transparent every communication through online will be transparent. Jan Vekemans (cited in Everett, 2016) states that protecting the money of consumers and business even boosting the economy and its growth is possible all because of encryption. This proves that encryption is the foundation of their security. So, it is essential to implement it because it gives safeguard and confidentiality of the consumer's data and privacy.

The next point, the law should be a protection for everyone not put them in trouble. The target is specific or group of people, not everyone. According to the University of Warwick’s Watson (cited in Everett, 2016) argues that if the target you are resolving is a weak group of minority or terrorist and nation states, the restriction is not an option. Let us remember that these people intend to disobey the law, so why do governments think that these group will obey if they implemented this kind of law. This law won’t help chase these people but rather hurt everyone.

Another point, Terrorists and criminals will never stop acquiring more strong encrypting software. According to McCarthy (2016) even if the law approves they should keep in mind if it can achieve its expected outcome. He continues: ‘The short answer is no; prohibiting strong encryption is highly unlikely to prevent bad actors from sourcing and to use secure encryption technology.’ These criminals and terrorists, for sure they are upgrading into sophisticated encryption system to make sure that their communication is unreachable by government agencies.

One significant problem with technology organizations is the trust issues in allowing access to their company data. There is a possibility that government misuse of information. As Koivunen (cited in Ring, 2016, p7) points out: ‘We have all read numerous incidents where law enforcement officers up to national level have violated people’s privacy in all kinds of ways.’ Today’s technology is responding by giving solutions to these problems which we already now using, the encryption. Apple is one of the organizations that oppose to this such law. They have a released a message for their customers explaining what will be at stake and tells that what they see is an overreach by the U.S. government.

Evidence may be clear to oppose this law, but meanwhile, there are still some people agreeing with the law. Provided the right legal oversight is in place; people will be willing to allow the government to acquire their data (Ring, 2016). Etzioni (2015) explains that ultimate encryption (UE) is now commonly used by tech organizations where the sender and receiver are only allowed to extract the message. When a search warrant is presented to them, these companies are unable to comply.

In conclusion, restricting encryption won’t solve the problem but will make the problem worse. Everyone must know about how it is necessary for our safety. Our digital world will be in jeopardy; risky online transactions (e-commerce), internet banking, and confidential emails. Bulk access to information can hurt everyone, not just terrorists. These terrorists will not comply with the law but will continue to rewrite sophisticated encryption system. Their government may also misuse the data they will acquire. Ultimately, the government should not ban this technology instead they must find a different way to deal with it.