April 12, 2018 Encryption Ethical Quandaries that Exist in Privacy Rudolf Musika CS 3111
Overview • Presentation description − Brief description of encryption. − Bring to attention some of the troubles that plague encryption and encourage its further use. • Ethical perspectives and theories about of encryption • Key findings / results − Why encryption is necessary. − Examine the real-time effects over the last decade. • Conclusion
What is encryption? In cryptography, encryption means changing electronic information or signals into a secret code that people can not understand or use on normal equipment (Cambridge).
Brief History • Cryptography explained by its “father” Leon Battista Alberti in 1469 (Battista). • Public key cryptography was invented by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman in 1976 (Markoff). Hellman, left and Diffie, Right. Stanford News Service
Brief History Need for decryption: the opposite of encryption; requires a cipher (method), usually relying on a piece of information called a key (actual information conversion equivalence).
Malignity of the word “Encryption” After acts of terrorism around the world, media news and governments have denigrated the word encryption (Goodnight). No doubt, encryption can be used for the wrong reasons, for instance when it is used in apps that spread terror (Meyer).
Privacy and Encryption Objective • The use of encryption should be encouraged by everyone including the government. Results • Encryption has had inherent positive effects over the past decade. • Users have to adapt to technological advancements.
Privacy and Rights Based on the 3rd Amendment to the US Constitution and the increasing controversies about privacy, Michael J Quinn concludes that privacy is not a natural but a prudential right.
Ethical Frameworks and Encryption From a Kantian perspective: Privacy is deemed a basic right in Europe. In 1948, The United Nations published the Universal Declaration of Human rights that all human beings have the right to own property (US). Edward Snowden once said, “Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say” (Rusbridger, Gibson).
Ethical Frameworks and Encryption From a Utilitarian perspective: Experts in cryptography say it might obstruct law enforcements efforts (Raicu). Interestingly, different agencies within the US government have come out on opposite sides on the matter (Pellerin).
Ethical Frameworks and Encryption From a Social Contract perspective: We want the constructs of social systems, institutions and environments we depend on to work in a manner that benefits all people.
Ethical Frameworks and Encryption Yet two paradoxes exist: For one, if we want the For one, if we want the common good of common good of transparency that benefits transparency that benefits us all, how is this promoted us all, how is this promoted The antithetical scenario is that The antithetical scenario is that if further enforcement of if further enforcement of with less encryption, enemies with less encryption, enemies encryption exists in encryption exists in within or outside our society within or outside our society government agencies government agencies have access to sensitive have access to sensitive (Wood). (Wood). information. information.
Ethical Frameworks and Encryption From a Virtue Ethics perspective: Encryption protects some virtues like truthfulness, but has it denigrated some others like courage? Does encryption allow us to be less prudent. Food for Thought…
Encryption and Privacy The use of encryption should be encouraged by everyone including the government. Have you experienced the negative effects of too much encryption? Take notice of the positive effects of encryption to society as a whole
Encryption and Privacy Briefly: 1. Encryption needs to evolve and progress. 2. Real-time effects of encryption over the last decade.
Advancement of the Use of Encryption Two kinds of encryption : 1. End to End Encryption and authentication. 2. Device encryption. Both civilians and governments need protection. How much protection do we need to have?
Examine the real-time effects in the last decade 1. Government agencies confronting companies to create back doors (Muir, Zetter). 2. After Paris attacks of 2016, claim they used video games for communication (Neagle, Bicchierai). 3. Company security of information by giving employees encrypted devices and communication channels. 4. Our own school emails are protected through a school server that has the keys
Conclusion • It is evident that we should advance the use of encryption. • Based on recent effects of encryption,we can see that encryption is a reinvigorating anomaly of privacy.
Questions & Discussion
Works Cited Alberti, Leon Battista. Ten Books on Architecture. A. Tiranti, 1955. David Muir Interview. "Apple CEO Tim cook sits Down with David Muir." abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/exclusive-apple-ceo-tim-cook-sits- david-muir- 37174976 Accessed 11 April 2018. “Encrypt.” Cambridge English Dictionary, 2018. dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/encrypt?q=encryption#da taset- british. Accessed 11 April 2018. Franceschi-Bicchierai, Lorenzo. "How the Baseless 'Terrorists Communicating Over Playstation 4' Rumor Got Started".motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wnxq8x/how-the- baseless- terrorists-communicating-over-playstation-4-rumor-got- tarted. Accessed 11 April 2018 Goodnight, Eric Z. “What is Encryption, and Why are people afraid of it?”howtogeek, 30 Nov.2018, howtogeek.com/234642/what-is- encryption-and- why-are-people-afraid-of-it. Accessed 11 April 2018 Kim Zetter. "After Paris Attacks, here is what the CIA director gets wrong about encryption". 16 Nov.2015, Wired, wired.com/2015/11/paris-attacks- cia- director-john-brennan-what-he-gets-wrong-about- encryption- backdoors. Accessed 11 April 2018.
Works Cited Markoff, John. “Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award.” The NewYorkTimes: Technology, 30 Mar.2016, nytimes.com/2016/03/02/technology/cryptography-pioneers-to-win- turing-award. Accessed 11 April 2018. Meyer, Josh, “How ISIS may be using phone apps and video games to plot terror ”.NBC News. nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-terror-attacks/are-isis-geeks- using-phone-apps-encryption-spread-terror-n464131. Accessed 11 April 2018. Neagle,Colin. "How ISIS could use video games, messaging apps to evade surveillance.”NetworkWorld.networkworld.com/article/3005364/securit y/how- isis-uses-video-games-playstation-4-messaging-apps-to-evade- surveillance. Accessed 11 April 2018. Pellerin, Cheryl. “Senior Officials: DoD Supports Strong Encryption for Defense, Commercial Security” Sept. 13, 2016. defense.gov/News/Article/Article/943220/senior-officials-dod- supports-strong- encryption-for-defense-commercial-security. Accessed 11 April 2018
Works Cited Raicu, Rina. “Ethical Questions about Encryption” Santa Clara University. 02 Dec.2016. scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/technology- ethics/resources/ethical-questions-about-encryption. Accessed 11 April 2018 Rusbridger, Alan et al. “Edward Snowden: NSA reform in the US is only the beginning.” The Guardian, 22 May.2015, theguardian.com/us- news/2015/may/22/edward-snowden-nsa-reform. Accessed 11 April 2018. Steen,Margaret. "The Ethics of Encryption". Santa Clara University, Feb 01.2015. scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business- ethics/resources/the- ethics-of- encryption. Accessed 11 April 2018. United States. Department of State. Bureau of Public Affairs. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 40th Anniversary.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 40th Anniversary, 1988. Volz, Dustin. “How Secure Could Hillary Clinton,'s Personal Email Be?” National Journal Daily, 2015, pp. National Journal Daily, March 3. 2015.
Works Cited Washington State University. "Improve your information security by giving employees more options: Employees may not realize they're putting company data at risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 March 2018. sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180326192123 Accessed 11 April 2018 Wood, Colin. 18 Mar. 2016. “Are San Francisco Officials Hiding Messages from the Public?” GovTech, 18 Mar.2016, govtech.com/dc/San- Francisco- Officials-Hiding-Messages-from-Public. Accessed 11 April 2018. Yen,Andy. " Think your email's private? Think again". TEDGlobal 2014. ted.com/talks/andy_yen_think_your_email_s_private_think_ again/transcript?c=209855#t-186858 Accessed 11 April 2018
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