CSWG Speaker Series - Current Issues in the Debates over Encryption and Government Hacking

The rise of ubiquitous encryption helps protect privacy, economic, and national security interests. At the same time, encryption presents a challenge to the investigatory capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Relatedly, U.S. law enforcement undertakes “lawful hacking” operations to investigate criminal suspects. These measures are controversial, in part because of their potential for extraterritorial impact on machines outside American law enforcement’s jurisdiction. Government hacking and efforts to regulate encryption both raise significant security issues in addition to legal and policy concerns. This talk will discuss the state of the debate over these topics in the U.S. and Europe.