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End-to-end encryption

13 Dec 2022 End-to-end encryption

Posted at 10:11h in Daily current-affairs by
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Significance for Prelims: End-to-end encryption technologies.

Significance for Mains: Issues associated with End-to-end encryption technologies.

News: Big-Tech companies like Apple, Twitter,  Signal, Whatsapp and Telegram announced end-to-end encryption to protect the data from a breach. But the FBI and other government agencies worldwide are not happy with the development.

End-to-end encryption: Used to secure communications.

  • It can also be used to control users’ authorisation when accessing stored data, which seems to be what Apple intends to do. In End-to-end encryption communication, data shared between two devices is encrypted during an end-to-end connection.
  • End-to-end encryption algorithms transform the standard text into an unreadable format. Only those who have decryption keys can scramble and read this format. 
  • No third parties, including companies providing the service, can read this format as these formats are only stored on endpoints.

Use of End-to-end encryption: Popularly used by instant-messaging apps such as Signal, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Google messages. 

  • It prevents third parties from accessing data during the transfer of data. Here, third parties are cloud service providers, internet service providers (ISPs) and cyber criminals.
  • Apple intends to use end-to-end encryption to control users’ authorisation when accessing stored data. 
  • Traditional usages: Transferring business documents, financial details, legal proceedings, and personal conversations. 
  • Other use of end-to-end encryption:  For securing passwords, protecting stored data and safeguarding data on cloud storage.

End-to-end encryption’s meaning for users: 

  • With End-to-end encryption, user data is protected from unwarranted parties, including service providers, cloud storage providers, and companies that handle encrypted data.
  • The technology makes it difficult for service providers to share user information from their services with authorities.
  • Access to End-to-end encrypted data can happen only with access to the device passcode, password, recovery contact, or recovery key. 
  • It would secure users’ data from snooping by government agencies. Therefore, it is a sought-after feature by activists, journalists, and political opponents.

Issues with end-to-end encryption: It does not protect metadata information, like when a file was created, the date of sending a message and the endpoints of sharing data. 

Displeasure of government agencies with End-to-end encryption:

  • Government agencies across the globe faced strong resistance in the past when they tried to access encrypted data hosted and stored by tech companies.
  • The Guardian reported that U. S., the U. K., and Australian agencies tried to access the contents of private communications. The government pressured Facebook to create a backdoor into its encrypted messaging apps. 
  • Legislation across the world tries to weaken encryption: Recently, Australia passed laws forcing tech companies and service providers to build capabilities that would enable law enforcement agencies to have secret access to messages on platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook.
  • End-to-end encryption may help “terrorists” and other serious criminals to hide from the law.
  • Various Law enforcement agencies are attempting to weaken the encryption with backdoors that would compromise the reliability of the internet.
  • The FBI expressed displeasure over the use of end-to-end encryption by technology companies. FBI said it advocates encryption schemes that give “lawful access by design” to enable tech companies “served with a legal order” to decrypt data.  It said it “continues to be deeply concerned with the threat end-to-end and user-only-access encryption pose”. 
Case study of Apple: Apple cited data breach research, “The Rising Threat to Consumer Data in the Cloud”.

  • Between 2013 and 2021 total number of data breaches more than tripled.
  • In 2021 alone, data from 1.1 billion personal records were exposed. So they are trying to address this threat by implementing end-to-end encryption.
  • Apple believes that the extra layer of protection through end-to-end encryption would prevent systems from hacking attacks launched by well-funded groups.
  • According to Apple, end-to-end encrypted data can only be decrypted by trusted devices and must sign in with their Apple ID. 

Case study of Twitter: Mr Musk desires to improve Twitter’s direct messages.

  • According to a report from The Verge, Twitter would encrypt DMs and work to add encrypted video and voice calling between users. 
  • Twitter wants to position itself as a provider of secure data storage and transfer services. 

Prelims:

  1. Which of the following is/are uses of End-to-end encryption?
  2. Protects user data from unwarranted parties.
  3. It prevents third parties from accessing data during transfer of data.
  4. It secures users’ data from snooping by government agencies.

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Mains:

Q. How does 3D printing technology work? List out the advantages and disadvantages of the technology.

Source: The Hindu

Article: What is end-to-end encryption and why are tech companies focusing on it?

Article Link: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-is-end-to-end-encryption-and-why-are-tech-companies-focusing-on-it/article66251153.ece 

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