Senators threaten to regulate encryption if tech companies won't do it themselves

The company representatives were joined by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and Matt Tait, a cybersecurity fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss encryption and lawful access. Tech companies and government agencies are at odds over how to handle encryption in a world where criminals, like the rest of us, are spending more time on their smartphones and other gadgets.

Law enforcement officials argue that encryption keeps them from accessing criminals' devices, even under a court order or after death, and prevents them from detecting internet-based crimes like sharing images of child exploitation. For tech companies, the focus remains protecting user privacy, and they say that creating a key or "backdoor" into the devices or messages makes the system vulnerable to malicious actors.

Tait testified that while technology companies have the capability to develop an improved encryption system, they don't have the incentives. With respect to device encryption, which is how Apple prevents access to phones without a correct passcode or fingerprint, Tait said any system that allows for lawful access would instantly be attacked.

they do know their WhatsApp fun will come to end then right?

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