MI5 unhappy with Snapchat & WhatsApp

Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, has condemned popular encrypted sexting apps such as Snapchat and WhatsApp for allowing terrorists to communicate freely. Speaking in his first live interview, Parker demanded that technology companies provide the government access to their secure communication services. Good luck selling that to the Randian libertarians in Silicon Valley…

“Shifts in technology and particularity internet technology and the use of encryption and so on, are creating a situation where law enforcement agencies and security agencies can no longer obtain under proper legal warrant the contents of communications between people they have reason to believe are terrorists. I think that is a very serious issue, it requires that there is a legal framework to authorise, but it also requires the cooperation of the companies who run and provide services over the internet that we all use.”

We all understand the need for the security services to monitor and catch terrorists and spies, however, and this is a big however, when those same security services and the governments behind them stop undertaking mass surveillance of the general population, and concentrate solely upon the terrorists and spies, then perhaps the same public at large will agree that they need access to the communications of those specific groups, WITHIN A LEGAL FRAMEWORK, i.e. warranted interceptions. No more, no less and with no scope creep.

Until the mass surveillance ends, there will be very few who will want tech companies to grant open access. This lack of access to certain types of communication and the growth in encrypted messaging is a direct result of government actions. Do not blame the public for what government has done.

The majority of people have nothing to hide, but that does not mean that they wish their entire life to be stored and become accessible to all and sundry simply because they have a ‘government’ badge.

Edward Snowden taught us all one very important lesson. Your freedom comes at a price, but giving every detail of your life up to a government that will suck that life out of you is not the right price.

About IanPJ

Ian Parker-Joseph, former Leader of the Libertarian Party UK, who currently heads PDPS Internet Hosting and the Personal Deed Poll Services company, has been an IT industry professional for over 20 years, providing Business Consulting, Programme and Project Management, specialising in the recovery of Projects that have failed in a process driven world. Ian’s experience is not limited to the UK, and he has successfully delivered projects in the Middle East, Africa, US, Russia, Poland, France and Germany. Working within different cultures, Ian has occupied high profile roles within multi-nationals such as Nortel and Cable & Wireless. These experiences have given Ian an excellent insight into world events, and the way that they can shape our own national future. His extensive overseas experiences have made him all too aware of how the UK interacts with its near neighbours, its place in the Commonwealth, and how our nation fits into the wider world. He is determined to rebuild many of the friendships and commercial relationships with other nations that have been sadly neglected over the years, and would like to see greater energy and food security in these countries, for the benefit of all. Ian is a vocal advocate of small government, individual freedom, low taxation and a minimum of regulation. Ian believes deeply and passionately in freedom and independence in all areas of life, and is now bringing his professional experiences to bear in the world of politics.

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