Oversight
The Trump Administration’s Lies About Encryption Are Putting Our Privacy in Danger
Attorney General William Barr is demanding Apple weaken its encryption — with disastrous implications for everyone’s security
The Trump administration is now engaged in a multipronged effort to pressure tech companies to weaken encryption protecting the privacy of billions of people. And make no mistake: They are blatantly lying about it to try to get their way.
First, Trump’s Justice Department targeted WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption for messaging late last year. Now, it’s going after Apple and the encryption that prevents criminals or governments from gaining access to the data on your iPhone.
Attorney General William Barr gave a speech this week castigating Apple for “refusing” to help unlock the iPhone of a Saudi national who killed three U.S. service members in Pensacola, Florida, in late 2019. Barr declined to comment on whether he would bring legal action against the company, but Apple is quietly preparing for such a fight.
Now, the context here is important. Barr is pretending his demand to Apple is about solving a terrorism case, and that Apple is refusing any help. But Barr isn’t asking Apple to…
