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The ConversationDec 16, 2019 16:16:27 IST

Facebook isplanning end-to-end encryption on all its messaging servicesto increase privacy levels. The tech giant startedexperimentingwith thisearlier this year. Soon, end-to-end encryption will be standard for every Facebook message.

But Australian, British and United States governments andlawmakersarenthappy about it. They fear it will make it impossible to recover criminal conversations from Facebooks platforms, thus offering impunity to offenders.

For instance, this was a major concern followingthe 2017 London terror attacks. Attackers used WhatsApp (Facebooks end-to-end encrypted platform), and this frustrated police investigations.

Image: Reuters

But does Facebooks initiative place the company between a political rock and an ethical hard place?

(Also read:Facebook to encrypt conversations on more of its messaging services: Mark Zuckerberg)

End-to-end encryptionis a method of communicating more securely, compared to non-encrypted communications. It involves using encryption (via cryptographic keys) that excludes third parties from accessing content shared between communicating users.

When the sender wants to communicate with the receiver, they share a uniquealgorithmic key to decryptthe message. No one else can access it, not even the service provider.

Facebooks plan toenact this change is paradoxical, considering the company has a history ofharvesting user dataandselling it to third parties. Now, it supposedly wants to protect the privacy of the same users.

One possible reason Facebook is pushing for this development is because it will solve many ofits legal woes. With end-to-end encryption, the company will no longer havebackdooraccess to users messages.

Thus, it wont be forced to comply with requests from law enforcement agencies to access data. And even if police were able to get hold of the data, they would still need the key required to read the messages.

Only users would have the ability to share the key (or messages) with law enforcement.

(Also read: Facebook is requested not to use encrypted messages as it does not let officials peek)

Implementing end-to-end encryption will positively impact Facebook users privacy, as their messages will be protected from eavesdropping. This means Facebook, law enforcement agencies and hackers will find it harder to intercept any communication done through the platform.

And although end-to-end encryption is arguably not necessary for most everyday conversations, it does haveadvantages, including:

1) protecting users personal and financial information, such as transactions on Facebooku Marketplace

2) increasing trust and cooperation between users

3) preventing criminals eavesdropping on individuals to harvest their information, which can render them victim tostalking, scamming and romance frauds

4) allowing those with sensitive medical, political or sexual information to be able to share it with others online

5) enabling journalists and intelligence agencies to communicate privately with sources.

(Also read:Facebooks end-to-end encryption could come to an end as us, UK fight child abuse and terrorism)

However, even though end-to-end encryption will increase users privacy in certain situations, it may still not be enough to make conversations completely safe.

This is because the biggest threat to eavesdropping is the very act of using a device.

End-to-end encryption doesntguaranteethe people we are talking to online are who they say they are.

Also, while cryptographic algorithms are hard to crack, third parties can stillobtain the key to open the message. For example, this can be done by using apps totake screenshotsof a conversation, and sending them to third parties.

When Facebook messages become end-to-end encrypted, it will beharder to detect criminals, including people who use the platform to commitscamsand launchmalware.

Others use Facebookfor humanor sex trafficking, as well aschild groomingandexploitation. Facebook Messenger can also helpcriminals organise themselves, as well as plan and carry out crimes, including terror attacks and cyber-enabled fraud extortion hacks.

The unfortunatetrade-offinincreasing user privacyis reducing the capacity for surveillance and national security efforts. End-to-end encryption on Facebook would also increase criminals feeling ofsecurity.

However, although tech companies cant deny the risk of having their technologies exploited for illegal purposes they also dont have acomplete duty to keep a particular countrys cyberspace safe.

A potential solution to the dilemma can be found in variouscritiquesof theUKs 2016 Investigatory Powers Act. It proposes that, on certain occasions, a communications service provider may be asked to remove encryption (where possible). However, this power must come from an authority thatcan be held accountablein court for its actions, and this should be used as a last resort.

In doing so, encryption will increase user privacy without allowing total privacy, which carriesharmful consequences. So far, several governments have pushed back against Facebooks encryption plans, fearing it will placethe company and its users beyond their reach, and make it more difficult tocatch criminals.

End-to-end encryption is perceived as a bulwark for surveillance by third parties and governments, despiteother ways of intercepting communications. Many also agree surveillance is not onlyinvasive, but also prone to abuseby governments and third parties.

Freedom from invasive surveillance alsofacilitates freedom of expression, opinion and privacy, as observed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In a world where debate is polarised by social media, Facebook and similar platforms are caught amid the politics of security. Its hard to say how a perfect balance can be achieved in such a multifactorial dilemma. Either way, the decision is a political one, and governments as opposed to tech companies should ultimately be responsible for such decisions.

Roberto Musotto, Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Postdoctoral Fellow, Edith Cowan UniversityDavid S. Wall, Professor of Criminology, University of Leeds

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.

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Facebook's end-to-end encryption will enhance user privacy but its not good news for law enforcement - Firstpost