EU cybersecurity agency slams calls for encryption backdoors

The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) spoke out in March 2016 against creating backdoors for law enforcement agencies to access encrypted communication.

Following the terrorist attacks in Brussels earlier in the month, several European politicians said authorities needed increased access to personal data to prevent crimes.

In the United States, Apple had been at the centre of a debate over encrypted data on an iPhone belonging to a terrorist suspect. US authorities had demanded access to the encrypted data, but the company argued that creating a backdoor for the government would make its products more vulnerable to hackers.

EurActiv reported in May 2016 that EU's ENISA and Europol had reached an agreement on encryption.

• Primary Source

BBC News, 29.03.16: FBI-Apple case: Investigators break into dead San Bernardino gunman's iPhone http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35914195

The New York Times, 28.03.16: In Apple Debate on Digital Privacy and the iPhone, Questions Still Remain http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/us/politics/in-apple-debate-on-digital-privacy-and-the-iphone-questions-still-remain.html

Foreign Policy, 29.03.16: Round One Goes to the FBI, But the Crypto War Isn’t Over http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/29/round-one-goes-to-the-fbi-but-the-crypto-war-isnt-over/

The New York Times, 27.03.16: American Tech Giants Face Fight in Europe Over Encrypted Data http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/28/technology/american-tech-giants-face-fight-in-europe-over-encrypted-data.html

EurActiv, 20.05.16: EU cybersecurity and police chiefs reach breakthrough agreement on encryption http://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/eu-cybersecurity-and-police-chiefs-reach-breakthrough-agreement-on-encryption/

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