The move towards curtailing the use of encryption should not be based on reducing the use of encryption but monitoring the utilization of the encryption communication channels. The laws on encryption and the policies by the government on technology are one-sided; as a result, many companies and individuals are denied the right of using encryption for a beneficial purpose.
The 9/11 attacks increased the vigilance of the United States government to combat crime and monitor use of technology (Spinello, 2013). However, some exceptions have to be considered that will give computer users with good intentions a way to use encryption to safeguard their personal information.
Utilization of the encrypted communication channels
The role of the government in the utilization of the encrypted communication channels is to monitor its use. Encryption in the first place is designed to represent confidentiality, which on the wrong side can be exploited to the destruction of individuals or the public.
It is argued that by possessing a core, the government denies individuals their rights to privacy. The probability that individuals communicating through an encrypted communication have good intentions is small. However, to monitor the different communication systems and reduce the recurrence of terrorist attacks, the governments should have escrowed keys to encrypted communications.
Is the cryptography necessary?
The freedom in cyberspace does not help in reducing the increasing rate of cyberspace insecurity. The freedom serves to increase the sophistication of encryption, leaving the government in the dark with what different individuals or groups are planning. In furthering the privacy of persons in the world, unfettered cryptography is necessary, but the challenge that arises is the use of the freedom accorded to the people.
Many negative implications are imminent, which makes it even harder to grant the freedom. The government takes center stage in determining the use of data encryption. The army and other sectors of the government have the right to use the different encryption. However, for personal use, there should be standards for the level of encryption to be used.
Reference Links :
Spinello R. (2013). Securing the Electronic Frontier. In Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace (5th ed. pp. 220-221). Burlington Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
