The encryption debate between the US government and Silicon Valley has dominated news feeds for first half of 2016. it began with the battle of San Bernardino iPhone between Apple and the FBI in February, and there is still hot due to legislation that would significantly change the encryption laws. Those who argue against strong cryptographic software often in the context of major news events. But as you will see by taking a look at the history of the debate on encryption, the government is pushing for the weak encryption since the beginning of its use. Use the calendar below to follow the way the encryption debate has evolved over time.
Recap
Early Days
since Tim Berners-Lee changed human communication in 1989, the political landscape has been full of discussions about how to best handle encryption. In the early days, a draft omnibus Joe Biden would have seen encryption backdoors become mandatory. This would become a common point of contention throughout the debate on encryption.
The attitude of the government towards the encryption often prompted a response from the world of technology. Phil Zimmermann wrote his Pretty Good Privacy program in part because of some embarrassing legislation that was on the table at the time. Unfortunately for Zimmermann and other advocates of privacy, a more troublesome legislation would be in the cards.
Encryption Debate heats
In 1993, the administration of the White House, Bill Clinton presented the concept of the Clipper chip that would function as a backdoor encryption equipment and be placed in phones and other electronic communications equipment. The push for the Clipper Chip died down when Matt Blaze hacked and shown that it could be used without the government access to data. But even if the government abandoned the Clipper chip, their desire to access civilian data never wavered. That desire gave CALEA, an act requiring the assistance of telecommunications service providers to wiretap phones.
Although the government's efforts to gain access to civilian data were aggressive, privacy and security enthusiasts got their fair share of wins. In 1996, a landmark decision saw encryption legally classified as freedom of expression. And while Bill Clinton signed an executive order that would require software makers to engage in encryption backdoors, a judge ruled that it was unconstitutional. When his administration proposed amended laws, it is pronounced against them.
The encryption debate between the new millennium
The debate died down for a while, and it seemed that the government finally encryption recognized for what it was (and continues to be) a useful tool that protects privacy and ensures safety. But things changed again with the Patriot Act, a piece of legislation that has long brought down right next national tragedy. The PATRIOT Act contains no specific laws on encryption, but as we learn Snowden, gave rise to secret FISA court, where the government has acquired warrants to uncontrolled surveillance.
Despite the PATRIOT Act, the pace of the discussion has been relatively slow for the first decade of the 00s CALEA was expanded to include the Internet in 05, but it would be another five years before the FBI attempted to launch its initiative "Going Dark". Three years later, Edward Snowden set the world on fire with his whistleblowing NSA. The Snowden leaks have revealed massive overreach NSA, and once again confirmed the will of encryption backdoors for government.
The Modern Day debate
Fast forward to 2014 and we are beginning to see today's debate take shape. Apple and Google decide to offer encryption by default on all of their smartphones. Upset by this decision, the current FBI director James Comey called on Congress to "fix" it.
True to form, the government only wanted to allow this default encryption if it came with backdoors. In response, 14 leading technology minds in the world issued a warning document on the implications of these backdoors. The government paid it no mind, and in February 2016, used the case of San Bernardino pushing for backdoors again, beginning a legal battle messy but short with Apple that ended with the FBI to drop the case altogether.
Although the battle against the FBI Apple ended, the government refused to abandon the concept backdoor. The Senate unveiled its encryption bill in April 2016, and it was ugly. It was met with sharp criticism and received poor marks for its technical illiteracy. Like almost all the laws, the government has implemented addressing encryption, encryption pending bill would require backdoors.
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The debate is far from over, but if history has taught us anything, it is that strong encryption prevail. Time and again, the government asked encryption backdoors. And time and again, they have been deprived. The context changes their arguments, but logic finally won out. Encryption is something that we should adopt to push against; it is a powerful tool that protects privacy and ensures safety. You can protect your privacy and surf the web safely with a VPN IPVanish, which encrypt all your online traffic. A VPN IPVanish also give you access to 40,000+ shared IP on 500+ servers in 60+ countries, unlimited switching servers and P2P traffic and user-friendly applications for all your devices. In addition, because IPVanish retains zero traffic logs, you can use the Internet freely, without worry.
