GENEVA: Outraged commentators warned Wednesday that revelations the CIA and Germany’s intelligence service had for decades used a Swiss encryption company for spying had seriously damaged Switzerland’s cherished reputation for neutrality. Critics voiced particular concern that Bern may have been at least tacitly complicit in the secret operation. Switzerland, which takes pride in its neutral […]

US and German intelligence services raked in the top secret communications of governments around the world for decades through their hidden control of a top encryption company Crypto AG, US, German and Swiss media reported Tuesday. The Swiss company was a top supplier of devices for encoding communications to some 120 countries from after World […]

Apple and the US government are at loggerheads for the second time in four years over unlocking iPhones connected to a mass shooting, reviving debate over law enforcement access to encrypted devices. Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday that Apple failed to provide “substantive assistance” in unlocking two iPhones in the investigation into the December […]

DefenceTalkWith renewed focus on how encrypted messages can be used to plot terrorist attacks, President Barack Obama’s administration is stepping up pressure on the tech sector to help in the battle. Although issues around encryption have been ongoing for decades, the prickly topic has sprung to the fore in recent weeks following killing sprees in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/data-encryption-in-sharp-focus-after-deadly-attacks-66091/

DefenceTalkThe deadly Paris attacks have reignited debate on encrypted communications by terror cells and whether law enforcement and intelligence services are “going dark” in the face of new technologies. The exact means of communication in Friday’s strikes were not immediately clear, but media reports have said the Islamic State organization has increasingly turned to encrypted […]https://www.defencetalk.com/attacks-revive-debate-on-encryption-surveillance-65882/

DefenceTalkUS law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that criminals and terror suspects would benefit from stronger data encryption, and called for service providers to retain access to such protected data. Calling inviolable data a “real national security problem,” Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said President Barack Obama’s administration has not ruled out legislation for companies […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-warns-encryption-hampering-anti-terror-fight-64849/

DefenceTalkSome 140 tech companies, civil liberties and privacy activists urged the White House Tuesday to pull back efforts to weaken encryption or include law enforcement “backdoors” on technology products. The effort marked the latest turn of events in a dispute between Silicon Valley firms and the US government, which is seeking ways to access encrypted […]https://www.defencetalk.com/tech-firms-activists-press-us-on-encryption-64262/

DefenceTalkApple is rolling out new privacy protections for iPhones and iPads, with a new system that makes it impossible for the company to unlock a device even with a warrant. Apple’s privacy terms updated late Wednesday indicate that under its new mobile operating system, iOS 8, the company will not have access to customer passwords. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/apples-new-encryption-to-lock-out-government-60610/

DefenceTalkA new push to encrypt email, keeping messages free from government snooping, is gaining momentum. One new email service promising “end-to-end” encryption launched on Friday, and others are being developed while major services such as Google Gmail and Yahoo Mail have stepped up security measures. A major catalyst for email encryption were revelations about widespread […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nsa-row-sparks-rush-for-encrypted-email-59615/