Encryption is a double-edged sword. It can be a terrorist's tool, but it can also be a key for those hunting attackers.

The attacks in Paris have spurred calls for better ways for investigators to track criminals who rely on encrypted communications.

Now technology industry groups are pushing back, arguing that any access to encrypted data will impact on privacy and civil liberties.

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Encryption is a double-edged sword. It can be a terrorist's tool, but it can also be a key for those hunting attackers. Pictured is Mike Janke, founder of Silent Circle an app featured on a 'safe' list recently circulated by ISIS. Following the Paris attacks, Silent Circle took steps to make it harder for terrorists to use their services

ARGUMENTS FOR ENCRYPTION Encryption backers say it is like any other technology - whether it is a car, telephone or gun - which can be used for good or evil. They argue that any access to encrypted data will impact on privacy and civil liberties. They claim encryption helps protect everything from online banking to transportation security systems. They also say its not yet clear whether the terrorists responsible for the Paris attacks used encrypted networks to communicate. Any 'back door' allowing authorities to gain access to encrypted data could also be exploited by a hacker, technology groups say. Laws regulating encryption are likely to be ineffective. Terrorists will simply switch to non-US software that has more privacy safeguards. Advertisement

It's not yet clear whether the terrorists responsible for the Paris attacks used encrypted networks to communicate.

But officials say technology companies need to help governments bypass the data scrambling that shields everyday commerce and daily digital life.

They say so-called backdoor in the devices would give law enforcement better access to terrorist communications, according to a report the Washington Post.

On Tuesday, the Software Alliance (BSA) defended encryption technology, saying it is a vital tool for online privacy, rather than something to be feared.

Several other technology industry groups have backed up the BSA, saying encryption helps protect everything from online banking to transportation security systems.

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) claims encryption helps boost national security rather than threaten it.

The Reform Government Surveillance – a lobbying group which represents the likes of Google and Apple - is believed to have met with congressional staff to discuss encryption policy.

The US government is both a supporter of encryption - funding projects aimed at helping pro-democracy activists - while at the same time pressing for ways to gain access to encrypted data for certain investigations.

'That schizophrenia is inherent in the NSA itself,' said Sascha Meinrath, who heads the digital rights group X-Lab.

Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) recently noted that 'there's no such thing as a backdoor for the good guys only. If there's a backdoor, anybody can come in.' Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (right) also joined the debate, saying 'we should take the concerns of law enforcement professionals seriously'

'The NSA is tasked both to secure our communications and to survey our communications.'

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton joined the debate, saying 'we should take the concerns of law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals seriously.'

'They have warned that impenetrable encryption may prevent them from accessing terrorist communications and preventing a future attack.'

Clinton said earlier this month that 'we need Silicon Valley not to view government as its adversary.'

Technology specialists in the private sector argue that any 'back door' allowing authorities to gain access to encrypted data could also be exploited by a hacker.

HAVE SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED THE ULTIMATE FORM OF ENCRYPTION? During quantum entanglement, subatomic particle pairs become inextricably linked together so they share the same state, even if they are separated An unhackable form of communication that exploits the weird world of quantum physics could make the devices we use to browse the internet far more secure. The technique uses a phenomenon called quantum entanglement, which is a quirk that seems to occur in the strange world of subatomic particles. During quantum entanglement, subatomic particle pairs become inextricably linked together so they share the same state, even if they are separated in distance. These states can be expressed in much the same way as binary bits from a conventional computer - ones and zeros - but are known as qubits. And this entanglement of particles means it is possible to encode data to make it much more secure. This is because quantum particles actually exist in all possible states simultaneously until they are observed or measured, at which point they exhibit just one state. An unauthorised hacker, for example, who attempts to take a peek at any data being sent in this way would immediately alter its state, making it impossible to copy. Ultimately, this means only the two parties who have the entangled particles are able to read the information. This can also be useful for encrypting information. When an encryption key is sent over a network, the technique would be able to see if someone had attempted to eavesdrop on the information. While quantum entanglement has been demonstrated in the past, in which data was sent over a distance of 186 miles (300km), this was only possible using specialised equipment. However, a team at the University of Glasgow and Stanford University have demonstrated it is possible to send quantum information over long distances using traditional telecommunication links - and they have more control over the photons being sent. They said their work is an important step towards developing a secure 'quantum internet'. Advertisement

'Anytime you introduce a back door you can't just program it so only one entity can grab that data,' said Mike Janke, chief executive of Silent Circle, an app featured on a 'safe' list recently circulated by the Islamic State organization.

Under pressure to act following the Paris attacks, Silent Circle and others took some steps to make it harder for terrorists to use their services.

Janke told AFP the Swiss-based company was 'enacting more aggressive back-end payment technology to reduce the likelihood of evildoers' like IS using the service.

Telegram, a secure communications app created by Russian Internet guru Pavel Durov, said it had blocked dozens of accounts associated with IS that were reportedly being used to spread extremist propaganda.

Technology specialists in the private sector argue that any 'back door' allowing authorities to gain access to encrypted data could also be exploited by a hacker. Encryption backers also say it is like any other technology - whether it is a car, telephone or gun - which can be used for good or evil

Encryption backers say it is like any other technology - whether it is a car, telephone or gun - which can be used for good or evil.

Jason Healey, a former White House advisor who is now a Columbia University researcher and Atlantic Council fellow, said any new laws on encryption are unlikely to be effective.

'If the terrorists are clever enough to avoid NSA-monitored technology, won't they be smart enough to avoid future NSA-backdoored cryptography and devices?' he wrote in The Christian Science Monitor.

'They will simply switch to non-US software that has more privacy safeguards or is difficult to monitor.'

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that 'there's no such thing as a backdoor for the good guys only. If there's a backdoor, anybody can come in.'

The attacks in Paris have spurred calls for better ways for investigators to track criminals who rely on encrypted communications. But now, technology industry groups are pushing back, arguing that any access to encrypted data will impact on privacy and civil liberties

In other words, any shortcut for investigators could also be targeted by cybercriminals eager to hack major corporations or to target individuals for identity theft or extortion, as reportedly occurred following the disclosure of records from the infidelity dating site Ashley Madison.

In the same speech, Cook said Apple will resist attempts to weaken encryption in iMessage.

A draft law recently introduced in the UK would require telecommunications companies to provide 'wider assistance' to police and intelligence agencies in the interests of national security.

Like iMessage, Facebook's WhatsApp encrypts all communications from 'end-to-end' — a technique that blocks anyone outside the conversation from reading or seeing what's being sent.

Although Facebook can't see the content of the messages, it does track who is talking to whom and stores their phone numbers — information that can be valuable for law enforcement officials trying to sniff out terrorist plots and fight other criminal activity.



