Backdoor

Another Push to Break Encryption + Collecting DNA at the Border? + Saudi Activist Says Twitter Was Infiltrated

Date published:

October 23, 2019

"Perhaps the most obvious path to expanding law enforcement access to encrypted products is legislation. Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity for Stanford Law School, said the legislation would have to cover a fairly broad range of industries, depending on if it was centered on unlocking encryption for devices, such as cell phones, or platforms, such as messaging apps. Read more about Another Push to Break Encryption + Collecting DNA at the Border? + Saudi Activist Says Twitter Was Infiltrated

Government Hacking Makes Everyone Less Safe

Date published:

September 13, 2018

ACLU Blog

"In a new paper, Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society (CIS) analyzes the cybersecurity risks of this practice for all internet users — not just law enforcement’s few targeted suspects. (The ACLU’s Jennifer Granick, formerly with CIS, contributed to the report.) Read more about Government Hacking Makes Everyone Less Safe

The Cybersecurity 202: Five Eyes demand for encryption workarounds raises stakes for tech companies

Date published:

September 5, 2018

The Washington Post

"“I certainly see this banding together as a way for the U.S. government to try to exert more gravitas in the U.S. debate,” said Riana Pfefferkorn, cryptography fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

“Many of the tech companies that are in the Five Eyes' sights are U.S.-based, and it naturally exerts more pressure on those companies to have five countries (most of which presumably provide significant user bases for those companies), not just the U.S., band together to press them on encryption,” she told me in an email." Read more about The Cybersecurity 202: Five Eyes demand for encryption workarounds raises stakes for tech companies

The Cybersecurity 202: This new FBI cyber official could be a moderating voice in encryption debate

Date published:

August 15, 2018

The Washington Post

"“She wouldn't outright say, ‘Yes, I want a backdoor,’ yet she voiced support for the idea of providers keeping the keys to decrypt data,” Riana Pfefferkorn, cryptography fellow at Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told me. “None of that really suggests to me that she's going to be better on ‘going dark’ or on surveillance and government access more generally.”" Read more about The Cybersecurity 202: This new FBI cyber official could be a moderating voice in encryption debate

The Cybersecurity 202: We surveyed 100 experts. A majority rejected the FBI's push for encryption back doors.

Date published:

June 11, 2018

The Washington Post

""Third-party tools such as Cellebrite and GrayKey, combined with other sources of data such as cloud backups, metadata, the Internet of Things, and so-called 'lawful hacking,' mean law enforcement still has a wealth of information available to it for investigations and prosecutions," said Riana Pfefferkorn, cryptography fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society." Read more about The Cybersecurity 202: We surveyed 100 experts. A majority rejected the FBI's push for encryption back doors.

Cops Around the Country Can Now Unlock iPhones, Records Show

Date published:

April 12, 2018

Motherboard

"“The availability and affordability of these tools undercuts law enforcement's continual assertions that they need smartphone vendors to be forced to build 'exceptional access' capabilities into their devices," Riana Pfefferkorn, cryptography fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told Motherboard in a Twitter message." Read more about Cops Around the Country Can Now Unlock iPhones, Records Show

The Argument Against a Mobile Device Backdoor for Government

Date published:

February 7, 2018

SecurityWeek

"The 'responsible encryption' demanded by law enforcement and some politicians will not prevent criminals 'going dark'; will weaken cyber security for innocent Americans; and will have a hit on the U.S. economy. At the same time, there are existing legal methods for law enforcement to gain access to devices without requiring new legislation. Read more about The Argument Against a Mobile Device Backdoor for Government