14 DAY TRIAL // Encryption will keep us all protected from mass surveillance, experts keep saying. In an interview for Softpedia, Cybersecurity Expert and Cryptographer Bruce Schneier admitted that when it comes to bulk surveillance, all encryption is good.
However, if it comes to keeping people safe from targeted attacks, basic encryption deployed by the likes of Google, Yahoo and other Internet companies won’t do much good.
“Are you asking me if the average Internet user can protect himself from a targeted investigation by the NSA with these tools? No. Are you asking me if the average Internet user can protect himself from his family by using these tools? Yes,” Schneier said.
Tech companies, including those mentioned above, have been working hard to secure their own systems, but also the tools that users handle each day. In Google’s case, the company has been working to encrypt all links between its databases, as well as tools such as Gmail. Furthermore, it changed its SSL certificates to 2048 RSA, overall improving the security of users.
“Encryption is the best tool we have to defend ourselves against bulk surveillance. The only reason the NSA collects everything is because it's easier than targeting. Encryption forces them to target. And while the NSA might have a larger budget than the rest of the world's intelligence services combined, they are still constrained by economics,” the security expert said, highlighting the silver lining.
The intelligence agency’s mass surveillance efforts have been affecting user privacy for years, while the United States has claimed several times until now that people shouldn’t expect their privacy to be respected if there’s a matter of national security.
The problem with this statement is that the NSA has been abusing this line and using it to justify all abusive surveillance programs.
But privacy is not the opposite of security, it has to be a part of it. As Bruce Schneier points out, no one feels secure when they’re exposed. “The US government hasn’t made the case that these violations of privacy enhance our security in any way,” he said.
And while our privacy is precious and should be protected, becoming hermits isn’t a solution and nor is creating national Internet networks. While this may solve some of the issues, the bigger picture is left untouched.
This is where governments come in and their desire to protect citizens. While it’s unlikely that the United States will actually listen to other state leaders asking it to put a stop to the surveillance of its citizens, an effort has to be made in this direction.