Den amerikanska kongressens mobilbakdörrslag rycket närmare och i en synnerligen ironisk utveckling så är det republikanerna och presidenten tillsammans som kommer att drive igenom lagen. Om nu inte presidentvalet tvingar en försening till nästa år. men så långt har det alltså gått att presidenten tvingas ta republikanerna till hjälp för att driva igenom en lag som kommer att tvinga alla mobil och datorfabrikörer att bygga in bakdörrar som gör det möjligt för skurkar och skurkregeringar världen över att bryta sig in i mobiler för att massavlyssna sin befolkning.
Damian Paletta skriver i New York Times: Long-Anticipated Encryption Bill Is Now Online — Or Is It?
Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) says if the document is indeed the draft of the bill, he will oppose it and will do whatever he can to stop it. “This is requiring American companies to build a back door,” he said.
Perhaps it’s fitting that legislation meant to address the issue of “Going Dark” would remain shrouded in so much secrecy. Bills are routinely leaked and floated on Capitol Hill, but legislation percolating through the intelligence committee is typically guarded much more closely.
The purported discussion draft proposes to “require the provision of data in an intelligible format to a government pursuant to a court order, and for other purposes.”
It would require “all persons receiving an authorized judicial order for information or data” to “provide, in a timely manner, responsible, intelligible information or data, or appropriate technical assistance to obtain such information or data,” among other things.
Presently, millions of Americans can send messages easily and securely that can’t be intercepted by criminals, employers, or even law enforcement. They can also lock their phones, or at least some phones, in a way that prevents information on that device to be obtained, even if law enforcement has a court order.
The discussion draft appears to attempt to make that illegal, essentially requiring companies to retain the capability to decrypt encrypted messages. Further clarification on the discussion draft was unattainable, in part because no one would admit to writing it in the first place. But it would essentially force some companies to change their business model. Some communications companies encrypt messages using digital keys that not even the companies themselves have access to. Other messages are encrypted using one-time events like the sound of someone’s breath or background noise.
Men när bakdörrarna väl är på plats finns det ingenting som sen förhindrar företag att också dom kräva tillgång till sina anställdas mobiler. Och givetvis kommer alla totalitära regimer världen över att kunna göra detsamma.
Det verkar vara det som Barack Obama menade när han talade om “Change We Can Believe In”.
Vi får ta för givet att även Sverige kommer att anamma lagen.
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