For those of you who follow me on Social Media, you may have seen last week how I went on a minor tirade about the U.S. Attorney General William Barr. He went to a Cybersecurity conference and suggested that the U.S. government should have backdoor access to encrypted data. I should clarify my position and why it bugged me so much. First of all, what he was suggesting was another way of saying that they would want access to everyone’s data. Think about it this way. We are all (or should be) keep our data on some Cloud Service. I usually like to talk about how this is important because of the efficiency of keeping it in an easily accessible space. I have quite a few problems with any government being able to look at my data whenever they want.
Invasion of Privacy
We spend so much time online, and so much of our lives with our digital footprint, It’s a massive breach of our Privacy to have the ability to go through people’s data at any time. Back in 2016, when Apple refused to open up the iPhone of the San Bernadino terrorist, I believe they were acting correctly. I want to be EXPLICITLY CLEAR HERE. I DO NOT IN ANY WAY condone what that terrorist did, and I’m not talking about his actions. I’m talking about Apple’s decision. If they were to open up his phone for the FBI’s inspection Blithely, it would set a dangerous precedent. If Apple did open the iPhone, it could have lead to a world where Authorities could ask for people’s data at any time. The companies that house it would have no choice but to have it over. Having a backdoor now built into people’s data, now means that they would always be concerned about the things that they put in their digital spaces. I’m not talking about on Social Media where the world can see it. I’m talking about Digital Diaries; I’m talking about private thoughts, I’m talking about intimate conversations that people have together. All of that, available for the Government on a whim. If the Government could peek in on people’s lives that they would. Is it then too far of a leap to think that if they found something they didn’t agree with philosophically, and they would then take action? Thoughts that people previously would have thought could have been kept private would be on display for the Government (and perhaps the courts) to see. Fear of the Government randomly taking action against you would mean that people would have to watch what they think. George Orwell wrote about a world like that a while back; it was not a good place to be.
Information of foreigners
I’ve been reading up on the PATRIOT Act. The bit that concerns me is the bit about foreign citizens whose data is housed on servers physically located in the U.S. border. If they have data on servers in the U.S. that data could be subject to the PATRIOT Act. If the U.S. ever got to the point where they would have a back door into their own citizen’s information, I don’t know how big of a leap it would be to want to have backdoor access to any information that is physically kept within their borders. As a Canadian, this is something that worries me. If a foreign government (or quite frankly my Government) were interested in peering into my data whenever they feel like it, it would cause me great concern.
Being the cut above
There are so many cyber threats out there. Phishing attacks that come at us daily, people trying to scam us out of our information and identity theft is running rampant. In my opinion, the Government should be there to serve the people’s best interests, not investigate the people they are trying to help. It’s essential for our governments to act differently from the people who are trying to steal our information for their gain. If the governments of the world start trying to work like the cybercriminals out there, then the line between them is lost. It’s essential for the Government to trust it’s citizens. That way, citizens can trust them. Trust, after all is a two-way street.
I get the reasoning for wanting to be able to see people’s data. On the one hand, being able to see what people are doing and thinking and saying is a way to prevent acts of terror. If you can see what people are planning, then you can stop them from doing violent actions. The problem is that when people know they are continuously watched and in the most intimate way possible, they tend to revolt, which causes more violence. It should also be noted that if there is a government backdoor to everyone’s data, the hackers and the phishers and the identity thieves will stop trying to hack individuals. They will instead start trying to break into that back door. Why waste your time trying to hack into one person’s data when you can hack your way into everyone’s?
I know that many people work in the Government who are interested in helping people and not suppressing their freedom. To my American readers, I would highly advise contacting your local congressperson and senator and stopping this notion of a backdoor to all data in its tracks. You’ve got an election coming up next year, and Privacy should be a topic that is front and centre. As for my Canadian Readers, We have an election in a few months. Contact your candidates and as them what they think about Privacy. This is an important issue that needs to be discussed. I like having a secure nation. I would also like to live in a country that doesn’t mistrust its citizens as a matter of course, a society that takes pride in its citizens. Some people wish to do wrong, the majority of people who live in a nation, both citizens and immigrants, are trying to live together in peace. If you encourage peace by trusting the people who you live around, the people you live around have more reason to trust you. If you promote mistrust and hatred of the people who you live around, then the people around will have more reason to mistrust each other and you. Trust starts with the ability to maintain a level of Privacy, and if you invade that Privacy, you violate that trust.
I got this story from The Verge last week. You can read the story for yourself here.
What do you think about the Government invading your data?
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