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by thekyle 2140 days ago
In practice there is no scalable way for the government to check everyone's security box every second. However, it is possible for them to scan every message sent in real time and past leaks have shown that they will if given the opportunity.
2 comments
phatfish 2140 days ago
I think that's the problem. We need to be able to trust they wont, in the current climate there is no chance of that.

If there were strong privacy laws defining how and when data could be collected and accessed then in theory I'm happy for the right people to have access to investigate criminal acts. Under a warrant that a judge has reviewed.

But currently it seems to be a free-for-all with tech companies being the ones in control of most of the data.

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nradov 2140 days ago
There is the legal issue, and also the technical issue. Even if the law sets strict limits on decryption that will become moot if the key is leaked.
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lern_too_spel 2140 days ago
> However, it is possible for them to scan every message sent in real time

Gates didn't suggest that the messages be sent unencrypted through government-controlled message routers either. Presumably, he is promoting systems that work like MS Teams or Slack.

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WarOnPrivacy 2140 days ago
> Gates didn't suggest that the messages be sent unencrypted through government-controlled message routers either.

Gates attacked encryption. Nothing beneficial (to the public) follows that.

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lern_too_spel 2140 days ago
> Gates attacked encryption.

Where did he do that? Slack and Microsoft Teams also use encryption, and he wasn't opposed to the method they use it.

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WarOnPrivacy 2140 days ago
>Where did he [attack encryption]?

Right here. "And when you have [posts] encrypted, there is no way to know what it is. I personally believe government should not allow those types of lies or fraud or child pornography [to be hidden with encryption like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger]."

Unless you're alleging the stuff in the brackets isn't attributable to Gates and doesn't reflect his position on encryption.

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lern_too_spel 2140 days ago
He is saying encryption as used in WhatsApp. What's in the brackets reflects his position if you read it in the proper context, which is not what you are alleging it to be. He is fine with the encryption in Slack and Teams.
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