This year at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, taking place from 24 to 27 August, the heads of state and government of the seven largest industrialized countries are meeting to discuss global challenges. As 2019’s host country, France has placed the topic of “combating inequality” at the top of the Summit’s agenda.
At the last meeting of the G7 interior ministers in April, the ministers expressed a commitment to encourage Internet companies to establish exceptional access solutions for encrypted content. However, this approach poses a serious threat to the ongoing security of Internet communications and to all those who rely on those services. In addition, such mandatory measures would substantially undermine citizens’ trust in the security of digital products and innovative services.
eco – Association of the Internet Industry, together with ISOC (Internet Society), has now written an open letter on the occasion of the G7 summit, criticizing the many onslaughts on encryption by governments worldwide.
The interest of governments and investigating authorities in gaining access to or monitoring personal data and processes on the Internet is growing. But any measure that undermines encryption also weakens the security and integrity of digital systems and services.
In a background paper just published, eco clarifies the global challenge of the current encryption debate: In a time in which more and more devices and services are operated digitally, and in which critical processes are increasingly handled and linked digitally, the security of these services, devices, and processes is becoming a global issue. As the importance of IT security increases, so too does the importance of encryption. Awareness concerning secure services is also rising amongst users and consumers, as is the desire to be able to communicate with one another in confidence. As a result, the Internet industry is relying increasingly on encryption, because it is a central building block for trust in digital services.
