The ‘Five Eyes’ security alliance is pushing tech companies to build backdoors to encrypted sites, putting Canadian user data, privacy and security at risk
This piece originally appeared in Maclean’s on October 18, 2019.
Imagine you wake up one morning and discover that the federal government is requiring everyone to keep their back doors unlocked. First responders need access your house in an emergency, they say, and locked doors are a significant barrier to urgent care. For the good of the nation, public health concerns outweigh the risk to your privacy and security.
Sounds crazy, right? Unfortunately, a number of governments are considering a policy just like this for the internet, and there’s growing concern that the Canadian government could soon follow suit.
Every day millions of online transactions are protected by a technology called encryption. Encryption is a form of security just like the lock on your house. It prevents outsiders from snooping in on your information and content as it passes over the web. It secures everything from banking information to military communications to online dating apps. It also protects critical infrastructure like hydroelectric dams and the internet.
Right now, there is an ongoing debate over so-called “encryption backdoors,” special access points that governments can force or compel tech companies to build. Essentially, these are unlocked doors on the web that allow authorities to access encrypted communications without users’ consent.
Byron Holland (MBA, ICD.D) est président et chef de la direction de CIRA, l’organisme national à but non lucratif mieux connu pour sa gestion du domaine .CA et pour l’élaboration de nouveaux services de cybersécurité, de registre et de DNS.
Byron est un expert de la gouvernance de l’Internet et un entrepreneur aguerri. Sous l’égide de Byron, CIRA est devenue un des principaux ccTLD au monde en gérant plus de 3 millions de domaines. Au cours de la dernière décennie, il a représenté CIRA à l’échelle internationale et occupé de nombreux postes de dirigeant au sein de l’ICANN. Il siège présentement sur le conseil d’administration de TORIX en plus d’être membre du comité des mises en candidature de l’ARIN. Il habite à Ottawa en compagnie de son épouse, de leurs deux fils et de Marley, leur berger australien.
Les opinions partagées sur ce blogue sont celles de Byron sur des enjeux qui touchent l’Internet et ne représentent pas nécessairement celles de l’entreprise.
