Wyden Corrects the Record on Encryption Following Open Hearing with CIA Director
CIA Director Called Foreign Encryption a “Theoretical” Capability
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement today correcting CIA Director John Brennan’s inaccurate description of the foreign encryption market at today’s open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence:
“It is clearly inaccurate to say that foreign encryption is a ‘theoretical’ capability. Strong encryption technologies are available from foreign sources today – half of them of them are inexpensive and the other half are free. U.S. tech companies dominate this field today, but they are competing in a global marketplace. These products are used by consumers and businesses every single day to protect everything from bank records and business transactions to personal communications and other sensitive data.
Requiring American companies to deliberately build backdoors into their products would not stop terrorists from using strong encryption and it would undermine American competitiveness and Americans’ digital security at a time when the threat from foreign hackers and cyberattacks has never been greater.”
A recent study by respected cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier identified 619 entities selling encryption products and noted that two-thirds were outside the U.S. These services include Telegram, which the CIA Director discussed in his opening statement.
Video available here.
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