On: U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts

[Kim_Bruning]

For years, law enforcement pushed for encryption backdoors, arguing they were necessary to combat crime and terrorism.

In the US, after Salt Typhoon compromised telecom networks—including court-authorized wiretap systems—the FBI has now (somewhat reluctantly, I think) started advising government officials to use end-to-end encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp to protect themselves. [1]

I think the UK government is running a bit behind wrt Encryption.

[1] https://www.npr.org/2024/12/17/nx-s1-5223490/text-messaging-...

[pmlnr → Kim_Bruning]

No, the government is always exempt. Citizens shouldn't be allowed e2e, the government, that's ok.

[selendym → pmlnr]

The problem with this line of thinking is that the government is, of course, composed of... individual citizens.

[pmlnr → selendym]

I don't want them to be, they make themselves exempt.

It's bad. It's one of the causes that triggered the French Rebellion in 1793: one rule for them, one for us?

[Kim_Bruning → pmlnr]

They do seem to think that way sometimes, don't they?

But the counter-argument here is: if the civilian E2E apps had also/already been backdoored, they'd be entirely out of options now.