Re:FBI director: Unbreakable encryption is a “huge, huge pro...
by BLKNSLVR on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @09:22PM
(#15546624)
Semantics, but it's a "huge, huge problem" for the director of the FBI for reasons of politics - having to essentially lie about it in public. The director doesn't do investigations, evidence gathering, or analysis.
The other situation in which it's a "huge, huge problem" is when there is communication they'd like to access that is encrypted.
What we don't know, among many other things, is:
1) How often do they come up against encrypted comms?
2) Can "traditional" work yield results that would make the encrypted comms less vital to the investigation?
3) What's the scale of the crime they're investigating when encrypted comms are encountered?
4) Are they investigating after a crime has already been committed? If so, then the damage is already done. (Yes, reconstruction of the lead-up may be useful)
Breaking encryption is not going to be a silver bullet, but trying to sell it as such is their "huge, huge problem".
The other situation in which it's a "huge, huge problem" is when there is communication they'd like to access that is encrypted.
What we don't know, among many other things, is: 1) How often do they come up against encrypted comms? 2) Can "traditional" work yield results that would make the encrypted comms less vital to the investigation? 3) What's the scale of the crime they're investigating when encrypted comms are encountered? 4) Are they investigating after a crime has already been committed? If so, then the damage is already done. (Yes, reconstruction of the lead-up may be useful)
Breaking encryption is not going to be a silver bullet, but trying to sell it as such is their "huge, huge problem".