FBI calls for impossible encryption: For FBI Only

The US Federal Police presents messenger platform providers with a dilemma: They are supposed to ensure that their encryption cannot be cracked by Chinese spies, but can be cracked by their own authorities.

Protection, yes, but please not too much

The FBI’s warning to smartphone users to replace traditional SMS and insecure communication platforms with encrypted services such as WhatsApp or Signal recently made headlines around the world. But now the FBI is also calling for changes to the encrypted platforms themselves.

The FBI refers to this as “responsibly managed encryption,” which on the one hand protects privacy, but on the other hand also allows US authorities to access content within the framework of a court order. This comes from a report in US magazine Forbes.

End-to-end encryption, as currently used by Apple, Google, Meta and Signal, is considered secure because even the providers do not have access to the encrypted content. However, this is exactly the point that the FBI does not want to accept. FBI Director Christopher Wray argues that this “warrant-proof” encryption allows terrorists, hackers and child molesters to evade prosecution. “The public shouldn’t have to choose between secure data storage and secure communities,” Wray said. “We have to be able to achieve both goals.”

Grotesque debate

This debate is held again and again – and every time it simply clashes with the technical realities. Security experts always point out that any type of backdoor for government access can also be exploited by third parties. “A key for someone is a key for all,” as the saying goes.

While the FBI appeals to companies like Meta, Apple and Google to change their encryption policies, they have so far shown little willingness to do so. Meta emphasized that end-to-end encryption remains the best method to protect user communications. Apple highlights that even they do not have access to encrypted iCloud data.