Tuesday, January 9, 2018

FBI Director Wray Wants Tech Companies To Help Law Enforcement Officials Gain Access To Encrypted Smartphones



Washington Post: FBI chief calls encryption a ‘major public safety issue’

NEW YORK — FBI Director Christopher A. Wray on Tuesday renewed a call for tech companies to help law enforcement officials gain access to encrypted smartphones, describing it as a “major public safety issue.”

Wray said the bureau was unable to gain access to the content of 7,775 devices in fiscal 2017 — more than half of all the smartphones it tried to crack in that time period — despite having a warrant from a judge.

“Being unable to access nearly 7,800 devices in a single year is a major public safety issue,” he said, taking up a theme that was a signature issue of his predecessor, James B. Comey.

“We’re not interested in the millions of devices of everyday citizens,” he said in New York at Fordham University’s International Conference on Cyber Security. “We’re interested in those devices that have been used to plan or execute terrorist or criminal activities.”

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WNU Editor: This issue has been festering for the past few years, and if FBI Director Christopher A. Wray's remarks are any indication .... a battle that the government is determined to win.

More News On FBI Director Wray Wanting Tech Companies To Help Law Enforcement Officials Gain Access To Encrypted Smartphones

FBI director says Twitter is 'on my radar' after Trump criticism -- ABC News
FBI Chief Calls Unbreakable Encryption 'Urgent Public Safety Issue' -- Voice of America
FBI chief: Encryption is 'urgent public safety issue' -- The Hill
Wray says encrypted devices a 'major public safety issue' -- UPI
FBI locked out of 7775 encrypted devices in 2017, says director -- ZDNet
FBI Chief Says Powerful Encryption on Devices is 'Urgent Public Safety Issue' -- Sputnik International
FBI opens new front in encryption fight with tech sector -- Financial Times

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