Alan Woodward, visiting professor at Surrey Center for Cyber Security at the University of Surrey stressed, “Encryption keeps our bank details, medical records and family conversations safe. It cannot be weakened for criminals without being weakened for everyone. Private communication is not a luxury. It is a condition of a thriving democracy.”
Paul Strasburger, chair of Big Brother Watch, agrees: “Strong encryption is essential to protect our data and our commerce from attack by organized crime and rogue states,” he told the government last year during a debate on the matter in the House of Lords. “Any weakness inserted into encryption for the benefit of the authorities is also available to those who would do us harm — yet that is precisely what the government are demanding from Apple.”
No one wants this
What’s also interesting about the poll is that opposition to the UK government plans comes from across the political divide. “The public are not naive about online crime, but Green, Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, and Reform voters alike simply do not accept that accessing everyone’s private messages is the way to stop it,” said Carly Munnelly, director at Public First.
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