L'administration Trump envisage d'interdire le chiffrement de bout en bout

The debate may be long between US authorities and Silicon Valley. Encryption

issues have been at the center of the US National Security Council conversations last week.

US officials want to undermine end-to-end encryption

If end-to-end encryption was banned, US intelligence and authorities would have much less trouble accessing information from suspects. It is with this in mind that a bill would be under discussion, aimed at prohibiting companies in Silicon Valley the use of encryption methods that can not be unlocked by the US authorities. 

The goal here would be to make it easier for the authorities to investigate terrorism, drug trafficking, and child pornography. 

Companies, especially GAFAM, have been integrating this end-to-end encryption system for several years to address users ' data protection concerns. 

Since its creation, or almost, the use of this system of encryption leads to long debates without end: if it makes it possible to protect the data of the users, that would harm the work of the authorities. In 2015, the DOJ, the United States Department of Justice, sued Apple in court to access mobile phone data from one of the shooters of the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack. Tim Cook's company then totally refused to unlock the iPhone in question to help US authorities.

Bonus for the authorities, bad for the protection of data and people

People would be disadvantaged if this law were to come into existence: some rely on these technologies to jam their communications to hide from stalkers or ex-companions sometimes intrusive and violent. 

This decryption of data would also promote the activity of hackers and spies, who would then have more ease to access the personal data of Americans. 

In short, if this bill were to come into being, this long debate would be, on the one hand, revitalized again, and the establishment of a real legislation would, on the other hand, be essential, because there is little chance for companies in Silicon Valley agree to review their encryption methods end-to-end, just at the request of US authorities.