Ban encryption?

David Cameron wants to ban encryption. He thinks that the government needs to have a copy of all our communications to ensure safety.

It’s a strange concept. Most day-to-day transactions rely on some form of encryption. So, those transactions might become jeopardized, or even illegal.

I am interested in how secure this keeps our country. What evidence exists to show that these interventions by government can prevent terrorism. I’m sure there are individuals who will use some forms of electronic devices to arrange illegal activities (and even sometimes lethal activities). However, this means that we are now limited in what we can do online. Can I chat via facetime if it uses encryption? Can I make an encrypted transaction online? If not, where does that place our country in comparison to the rest of the world?

Either David Cameron just wants to hit the headlines, or he doesn’t have a clue. I can’t imagine the latter, and only hope it is the former. Will Parliament debate this issue properly?

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