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EU wants sharing to break encryption

by on20 October 2017


But no back doors

The European Commission has proposed that member states help each other break into encrypted devices by sharing expertise around the bloc.

The Commission has decided that demanding decryption backdoors is pretty pointless, particularly since everyone is using it.

In an attempt to tackle the rise of criminals using encryption and its effects on solving crimes, the Commission wants to do something a bit different.

When it set out its antiterrorism measures, it offered member states more support when they actually get their hands on an encrypted device.

"The commission's position is very clear -- we are not in favour of so-called backdoors, the utilisation of systemic vulnerabilities, because it weakens the overall security of our cyberspace, which we rely upon", security commissioner Julian King told a press briefing.

"We're trying to move beyond a sometimes sterile debate between backdoors or no backdoors, and address some of the concrete law enforcement challenges. For instance, when [a member state] gets a device, how do they get information that might be encrypted on the device."

Some member states are more equipped technically to do that extract information from a seized device than others", King said.

"We want to make sure no member state is at a disadvantage, by sharing the tech expertise among the member states and reinforcing the support that Europol can offer."

Last modified on 20 October 2017
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