Law enforcement's encryption claims overblown, study finds - CNET

Encryption may not protect criminals as much as we have been led to believe.

The FBI and other law enforcement authorities are exaggerating the extent that criminals are using encryption to avoid surveillance, or "go dark," according to a study released Monday by Harvard. The study, which included participation from current and former intelligence officials, found that myriad new Inteet-connected technologies such as smart-home products allow new opportunities for surveillance activities.

"The 'going dark' metaphor does not fully describe the future of the govement's capacity to access the communications of suspected terrorists and criminals," said the study (PDF), published by the Berkman Center for Inteet and Society at Harvard.

The report conceded that the increased availability of encryption products impedes govement surveillance under certain circumstances. But it also concluded that the burgeoning market for Inteet-connected devices will "likely fill some of these gaps and...ensure that the govement will gain new opportunities to gather critical information from surveillance."

The study's findings come amid a mounting war of words between tech companies and policy makers, who contend that terrorist groups are benefiting from encryption, the technology that jumbles communications and files so that only the intended recipient can read them. Tech companies have become increasingly diligent about including encryption in products and services in the wake of revelations about US govement surveillance programs from documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.