Two-thirds of the British public claim the ability of police to intercept and read communications between terrorists is more important than privacy, according to a new study. Lee Munson, Security Researcher at Security and Privacy Advice Comparison Website Comparitech commented below.
Lee Munson, Security Researcher at www.Comparitech.com:
“The thought that if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide has, by and large, been considered an outdated concept in the post-Snowden world – but it appears not everyone thinks that way.
Coming soon after the Westminster attack, a poll highlighting how many Brits would happily see backdoors inserted into WhatsApp and other popular apps is hardly a surprise, even if the thinking behind it is flawed.
More data does not equal better security, especially when it later transpires that attacks were perpetrated by persons already known to the security services.
Instead, allowing any interested parties to read private conversations just strips away that privacy now and forever more.
Criminals and terrorists quickly move on to new and secure communications channels, leaving everyone else to use leaky apps that could be misappropriated by hackers, unethical journalists or even, in the future, the government itself.”
