Earlier this month, FBI Director James Comey said that the widespread use of encryption was a national security problem for the United States. In a blog post, he warned of the threat of “ISIL operators in Syria recruiting and tasking dozens of troubled Americans to kill people,” communicating using encrypted messaging apps.
“There is simply no doubt that bad people can communicate with impunity in a world of universal strong encryption,” Comey wrote.
It’s widely expected that Comey will push for the federal government to force private tech companies to create a “golden key,” a universal encryption backdoor that law enforcement agencies can use to monitor potential terrorist threats, an idea that Comey first raised in October.
