Following the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, the demand for weaker encryption – either by government mandate or the voluntary action of technology companies – comes from law enforcement officials who argue that encryption hinders their ability to track terrorists and criminals. A major problem with this push, and one largely overlooked in the current debate over encryption, is a different threat to the security of American cyberspace: other countries’ spies.
The federal government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was recently hacked, (probably by agents of China), showcasing how other countries can benefit from lackluster cybersecurity on the homefront. American networks are constantly monitored and probed by countries seeking any and every military, economic, and informational advantage they can find.
Read the rest of the article in The Hill.