{"id":2315201,"date":"2024-07-29T06:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T10:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-and-privacy-hawks-clash-over-encryption-after-trump-assassination-attempt-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-29T10:38:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:38:45","slug":"fbi-and-privacy-hawks-clash-over-encryption-after-trump-assassination-attempt-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-and-privacy-hawks-clash-over-encryption-after-trump-assassination-attempt-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI and privacy hawks clash over encryption after Trump assassination attempt &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-and-privacy-hawks-clash-over-encryption-after-trump-assassination-attempt-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2315201&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a recent confrontation between the FBI and privacy advocates over digital encryption, spurred by an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amnesty-international-strips-aleksei-navalny-of-prisoner-of-conscience-status-for-decades-old-comments-on-immigration\/\" title=\"Amnesty International Strips Aleksei Navalny Of \u2018Prisoner Of Conscience\u2019 Status For Decades-Old Comments On Immigration\">assassination attempt<\/a> on former President Donald Trump. During a hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that while the Bureau could access some information from the assassin&#8217;s devices, encryption impeded full access to communications, particularly on platforms like Signal and WhatsApp. This has alarmed privacy advocates, who argue that encryption is essential for protecting personal information from government surveillance.<\/p>\n<p>Following Wray&#8217;s comments, privacy activists convened to explore strategies for safeguarding digital data and voiced concerns that the FBI seeks to undermine encryption through potential &#8220;backdoors.&#8221; The article references past conflicts, including the FBI&#8217;s battle with Apple regarding an iPhone related to the San Bernardino shooting, highlighting ongoing tensions between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/treasury-grants-house-oversight-committee-access-to-hunter-biden-reports\/\" title=\"Treasury grants House Oversight Committee access to Hunter Biden reports\">law enforcement interests<\/a> and privacy rights. Advocates warn that the FBI&#8217;s push for easier access to encrypted communications presents significant risks to digital security and personal privacy. <br \/> The article discusses a recent clash between the FBI and privacy advocates regarding digital encryption following an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amnesty-international-strips-aleksei-navalny-of-prisoner-of-conscience-status-for-decades-old-comments-on-immigration\/\" title=\"Amnesty International Strips Aleksei Navalny Of \u2018Prisoner Of Conscience\u2019 Status For Decades-Old Comments On Immigration\">assassination attempt<\/a> on former President Donald Trump. FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed that while the bureau was able to access some information from the assassin&#8217;s devices, encryption presented significant barriers to full access. This situation has prompted privacy activists to strategize on how to protect digital information from government surveillance. Wray expressed concerns over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-mexico-governors-demand-for-state-agencies-to-automatically-delete-records-could-affect-investigation-into-child-abuse-death\/\" title=\"New Mexico Governor\u2019s Demand For State Agencies To Automatically Delete Records Could Affect Investigation Into Child Abuse Death\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-mexico-governors-demand-for-state-agencies-to-automatically-delete-records-could-affect-investigation-into-child-abuse-death\/\" title=\"New Mexico Governor\u2019s Demand For State Agencies To Automatically Delete Records Could Affect Investigation Into Child Abuse Death\">encrypted messaging services<\/a><\/a> like Signal and WhatsApp, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/failure-of-action-lara-logan-says-biden-wants-to-obliterate-immigration-law-and-open-the-border\/\" title=\"\u2018Failure Of Action\u2019: Lara Logan Says Biden Wants To \u2018Obliterate Immigration Law\u2019 And \u2018Open The Border\u2019\">prevent law enforcement<\/a> from accessing communications, labeling this as a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-whats-next-in-u-s-hypersonic-efforts-as-air-force-scraps-arrw\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s What\u2019s Next in U.S. Hypersonic Efforts as Air Force Scraps ARRW\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-whats-next-in-u-s-hypersonic-efforts-as-air-force-scraps-arrw\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s What\u2019s Next in U.S. Hypersonic Efforts as Air Force Scraps ARRW\">significant technical challenge<\/a><\/a>.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>During a virtual meeting organized by Demand Progress, advocates emphasized the importance of encryption in safeguarding personal and sensitive information. They highlighted the FBI&#8217;s history of undermining encryption and warned against government efforts to introduce &#8220;backdoors&#8221; for surveillance purposes. The article further references past incidents, such as the FBI&#8217;s battle with Apple for accessing an iPhone related to a shooting in San Bernardino, demonstrating the ongoing tension between privacy rights and law enforcement interests in accessing encrypted data.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">FBI and privacy hawks clash over encryption after Trump assassination attempt<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1712620\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>FBI Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/christopher-wray\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Christopher Wray<\/a> revealed at a recent hearing that while the bureau had accessed some content from the digital devices of former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s would-be assassin, it could not see everything.<\/p>\n<p>One day later, a group of privacy activists huddled together to plot out ways to better protect digital information from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>FBI<\/a> and other entities.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The FBI complains about going dark. When you look at the statistics on how often they intercept communications, this is the golden age of surveillance,&rdquo; Greg Nojeim, a lawyer at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said during the virtual meeting on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting, hosted by Demand Progress, centered on encryption, which Nojeim described as &ldquo;crucial to protecting information&rdquo; in a world where everything, from personal messages and work communications to financial and health records, is online.<\/p>\n<p>Wray had lamented at the hearing the obstacle presented by encrypted platforms, such as Signal, WhatsApp, or Proton Mail, which lock communications so that only the sender and recipient can see them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House committee about the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wray said the FBI had finally gained access to Thomas Matthew Crooks&rsquo;s phone as the bureau continues searching for the motive of the 20-year-old who killed one, critically injured two, and injured Trump at a recent rally in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>Wray said, however, that accessing the phone presented a &ldquo;significant technical challenge&rdquo; in itself &ldquo;from an encryption perspective&rdquo; and that encrypted messaging applications on Crooks&rsquo;s phone were also a problem for the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI may never be able to access some of Crooks&rsquo;s content &ldquo;no matter how good our legal process is,&rdquo; Wray said. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In terms of our ability to access it, we have been able to get into and exploit a number of electronic devices, digital devices but not all of them yet, and then within his various accounts, we&rsquo;ve been able to get access to some of them, but some of them we&rsquo;re still waiting on. Some of them we may never get access to because of the encryption issue that presents an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wake-up-with-the-washington-examiner-bidens-supreme-court-plan-defining-harris-and-the-fbis-cryptic-problem-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Wake up with the Washington Examiner: Biden\u2019s Supreme Court plan, defining Harris, and the FBI\u2019s cryptic problem - Washington Examiner\">increasingly vexing barrier<\/a> for law enforcement,&rdquo; Wray said.<\/p>\n<p>FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told lawmakers in a briefing one week before the hearing that the FBI had initiated a &ldquo;legal process,&rdquo; such as issuing subpoenas, with 30 companies and had been waiting on responses from 18 companies, including encrypted platforms, in reference to the Crooks investigation, according to a source familiar with the briefing.<\/p>\n<p>Hajar Hammado, a senior policy adviser at Demand Progress, said in a statement the FBI has a record of attempting to break through encrypted platforms.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Given the FBI&rsquo;s long history of working to undermine end-to-end encryption, it&rsquo;s very likely they will ask the next president to help them do it, and we can already see Director Wray laying that groundwork,&rdquo; Hammado told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Hammado stated that &ldquo;people who care about defending digital security and privacy need to be vigilant and proactive in challenging the false narratives the FBI is once again trying to plant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Former Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who participated in the virtual privacy meeting, harkened back to the encryption controversy surrounding the shooting in San Bernadino, California, in 2015 that left 14 dead.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI obtained a court order for Apple to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the two shooters, and while Apple CEO Tim Cook fought the order in court, the FBI eventually found a third party to unlock the phone and dropped its legal pursuit against Apple.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Post<\/em> reported that the third party was a small Australian hacking firm called Azimuth Security. In Crooks&rsquo;s case, the outlet reported, the FBI broke into the gunman&rsquo;s phone using software from Cellebrite, an Israeli firm federal investigators have increasingly turned to for cracking phone codes.<\/p>\n<p>Noah Chauvin, a law professor at Widener University, said during the meeting with the privacy advocates, however, that he had observed &ldquo;sustained efforts&rdquo; from law enforcement to go directly to encryption platforms and pressure them to put &ldquo;backdoors into their products that would allow the government to go in and review the messages that are being sent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Using third parties like Cellebrite is legal for the FBI to do, but federal statutes discourage law enforcement entities from pressuring companies that provide encryption services to directly help them access secure communications.<\/p>\n<p>Goodlatte, who became a privacy lobbyist after leaving Congress, said he understood the FBI&rsquo;s frustration with encryption but warned that efforts to access secured messages through backdoors, if successful, would present &ldquo;security vulnerabilities&rdquo; that could create hacking opportunities for foreign adversaries or international criminal organizations.<\/p>\n<p>The group of privacy hawks discussed legislation they would urge Congress to pass, including an amendment <a href=\"https:\/\/amendments-rules.house.gov\/amendments\/DAVIOH_165_xml%20(FBI%20-%20Encryption)240719093728031.pdf?_gl=1*lcxxjt*_ga*MTY3NzQ0Mjc3My4xNzIyMDA1NTk3*_ga_N4RTJ5D08B*MTcyMjAyMDk3Mi4xLjEuMTcyMjAyMDk3NS4wLjAuMA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>introduced<\/a> by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) that would prohibit any FBI funding that went toward undermining encryption.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Davidson introduced the amendment as part of a congressional appropriations bill, which Republican leaders postponed addressing until after their August recess.<\/p>\n<p>The annual summer break on Capitol Hill and the funding bill delays mean that while evergreen friction on encryption exists between privacy hawks and the government, it will likely be months or longer before any legislative fights on the issue come to a head. <\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1712620\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1712620\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The article highlights a recent confrontation between the FBI and privacy advocates over digital encryption in the wake of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that while the agency was able to retrieve some data from the assassin&#8217;s devices, encryption posed significant challenges to accessing all information. This has led privacy activists to devise strategies for safeguarding digital data from government surveillance. Wray expressed his concerns about encrypted messaging services like Signal and WhatsApp, which hinder law enforcement&#8217;s ability to access communications, calling it a &#8220;significant technical challenge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During a virtual meeting organized by Demand Progress, advocates underscored the critical role of encryption in protecting personal and sensitive information. They pointed out the FBI&#8217;s history of undermining encryption efforts and cautioned against government attempts to create &#8220;backdoors&#8221; for surveillance purposes. The article also references previous conflicts, such as the FBI&#8217;s legal battle with Apple over accessing an iPhone linked to a shooting in San Bernardino, illustrating the ongoing struggle between privacy rights and law enforcement\u2019s need for access to encrypted data.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, following an assassination attempt on Trump, tensions have escalated between privacy advocates and federal authorities regarding digital encryption. While Wray acknowledged some successes in accessing devices related to this case, he emphasized that many encrypted communications may remain beyond reach despite legal efforts. Privacy proponents are mobilizing against potential government encroachments on encryption rights as they prepare for legislative battles ahead<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2315202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24206572023537.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[34943,26473,5591,4325,3634],"class_list":["post-2315201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-assassination-attempt","tag-encryption","tag-fbi","tag-privacy","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24206572023537.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2315201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2315201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2315201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2315201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}