Civics Is Boring. So, Let's Encrypt Something
8 days ago
- #encryption
- #law-enforcement
- #human-rights
- Governments prioritize fundamental human rights over economic benefits, as seen in the arrest of Telegram's founder for violating human rights in France.
- Legislators assign responsibility for human rights protection, making individuals accountable for actions like saving lives or reporting crimes.
- Judges have the authority to issue court orders that can override human rights to prevent crimes or gather evidence.
- Modern encryption challenges law enforcement by making communications unbreakable, leading to calls for regulation.
- A proposed solution involves technical tools for TLS protocols to handle court orders, balancing encryption strength with legal compliance.
- Legislation could criminalize forcing strong encryption, validate attestations for court orders, and set rules for encryption use.
- Users could configure encryption settings based on jurisdiction, with commercial sites attesting to legal compliance.
- Companies could use client-side proxies to enforce encryption policies, simplifying compliance for employees.
- The proposal aims to satisfy law enforcement, maintain strong encryption for important communications, and respect user choice.
- Despite potential benefits, the compromise faces opposition from both law enforcement and IT libertarians.