Shooting Holes in the Willy Wonka “Golden Encryption Key” Myth

This article gets it right, but fails to point out the motivations behind the ‘golden key’.

First, the idea of a ‘golden key’ is a decryption backdoor key that only the government would possess. This, we are told, is necessary in order for the government to catch criminals or terrorist by decrypting messages from common communications mediums that are encrypted. (iMessage, FaceTime, etc)

We are told that if you have nothing to hide you shouldn’t worry, and we all are at risk from criminals and terrorist.

Here’s the thing: You could create a ‘golden key’ and force businesses to use them. You cannot, however, force existing open source encryption technologies to use that golden key.

A criminal organization or terrorist cell with even a small amount of intelligence would not trust vital communications to common technologies like this. They may use them, but anything vital would be obscured with alternative terminology known to senders and recipients. Clear instructions or damning comments would be delivered by alternate means. (encrypted with PGP, OTP, hidden in images or files, uploaded on the  DarkNet for download by another party, etc)

So again, what is behind the push for a ‘golden key’?

This is about you. It’s about all seeing EYE being able to see at will everything about you.

How could it be otherwise?

Criminals will use these technologies with care or not at all. If a golden key is implemented, they will use greater care or stop altogether. They will rely on encryption without a backdoor. So it is once again about you and not the criminal.

-Mr. A