Should Apple Block UK Government From Hacking its Customers?

Our modern world is full of contradictions, on one hand technology is enabling us to progress as a society and collaborative working allows digital natives across the global community to work together seamlessly. However, on the flip side of this coin, we are living in dangerous times that consist of terrorism, crime, fraud and serious international conflicts.

The UK home secretary, Theresa May, recently introduced controversial measures in the draft investigatory powers bill that aims to gain access to a back door into every UK citizen’s internet use in the name of fighting crime and the war on terror. Whether you sit in the “I have nothing to hide” or “What about my privacy and freedom” camp is an argument for another day, but the naivety and lack of understanding of technology from our leaders are proving to be quite worrisome.

The big question raised is not should the government be able to access my data but if encryption is weakened to provide authorities access, will it also open a back door to my personal information for the bad guys?

    Some of the strongest protections and safeguards anywhere in the democratic world and an approach that sets new standards for openness, transparency and oversight Theresa May - investigatory powers bill 

Tech behemoths Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and Microsoft, have formed an unlikely alliance to submit evidence to the parliamentary committee and warn of the dangers of introducing such reckless powers that could not only cripple the tech industry but the digital life we have become accustomed too.

Apple responded with a written submission to the so-called snoopers charter warning that adopting weaker standards of encryption would put law-abiding citizens at risk - not criminals, hackers, and terrorists.

    A key left under the doormat would not just be there for the good guys, the bad guys would find it too. - Apple 

Contradictory laws across the globe could paralyse tech companies and cause further distrust from those who were oblivious to the fact that the webcams and Xbox Kinect cameras they invited into their lives were nothing more than Trojan horses to intercept images from inside their homes.

Some will wonder why it has to be a foreign company that is speaking up to protect the British public rather than their own government. However, many will also point out the irony in a private corporation that heavily controls and gathers information of its customers attempting to influence the legislation in another country, so the answer to many of these big questions will be entirely subjective.

    Encryption is a security tool we rely on everyday to stop criminals from draining our bank accounts, to shield our cars and airplanes from being taken over by malicious hacks -  ITIC 

We are entering the holiday season, and could find ourselves caught in the crowds shopping for last minute presents and using technology such as chip and pin, contactless and mobile payments without even thinking about it. Christmas is really about sharing time with friends and loved ones, and we will all probably save and share these memories via iMessage, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger and everything I have mentioned are all protected by our unsung hero known as encryption.

There is a certain amount of irony in authorities seeking to defend their populace from harm by suggesting a solution that fundamentally weakens our security. The weakening of encryption will create vulnerabilities and will ultimately result in exposing the very national security it is trying to protect.

Technology dominates every aspect of our lives, and I suspect we are guilty of not stopping to understand the magnitude of what would happen if we were to weaken encryption for the greater good. This lack of knowledge and understanding of the infrastructure that all of our shiny devices that “just work” is in many ways incredibly dangerous when making changes without comprehending the impact and implications it will have in almost every area of our life.

This simple post is not about starting a debate on the pro’s and cons of a snoopers charter for the greater good but raising the lack of awareness of how the technology that rules our lives is protected. There seems to be a disconnect between governments understanding of this and they now find themselves being advised in the public arena by a corporation such as Apple, which in itself is more cause for concern.

Technology is progressing much faster than regulations, legislation or policy changes, and authorities are clearly struggling to keep up with this fast pace and fail to understand the dangers of creating a secret backdoor to private information. This latest episode highlights the knowledge and skills gap between those who do and doesn't understand the technology we take for granted in our everyday lives.

Let me know your thoughts on this controversial subject by commenting below.

================================
Thanks for reading. you can also connect on Twitter at @neilchughes or contact me via my site Technology Blog Writer if you want to reach out or appear on my podcast.