How does encryption (or the lack thereof) affect American freedom of speech online?

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How does encryption (or the lack thereof) affect American freedom of speech online?

In: Technology

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s not so much an issue of freedom of speech as it is one of a right to privacy. Banning encryption is like banning private conversations and requiring all your conversations to happen in public where anyone can overhear. It may affect freedom of speech indirectly by making people afraid to say things they only feel comfortable saying privately, but it’s mostly a privacy issue.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Basically the same way as if all the locks in your life disappeared. No house a lot, no phone pass code, no bedroom door lock, no stall locks at public bathrooms, No lock for your car.

Sure you could trust that most people are going to be honest and not go snooping, but it only takes one person.

Anonymous 0 Comments

So, if the courts are going to tap your phone line, they need a warrant & reason/purpose to do it. This was more relevant when every household had a landline phone, rather than everyone having a cell phone.

Banning encryption is like if they went back and “undid” that need for a warrant for line-tapping your phone. It wouldn’t be a matter of free speech, that’s a secondary concern after encryption banning would happen, since the fear is it’d turn into 1984/Big Brother-ish.

It’s more an issue of privacy.

Anonymous 0 Comments

End-to-End encryption prevents anyone from reading a message before it gets to its destination. So, if someone who shouldn’t have access to a message obtains it, it will be very difficult (nearly impossible) for them to read it. Inversely, without encryption, that person would be able to read the message as clearly as if they grabbed a letter out of your mailbox.

Now, in terms of Freedom of speech: Imagine the US government bans encryption. This would mean that they can read any message, file, etc. That is sent by you. And, further, they could stop it from reaching its destination if they so choose, essentially limiting freedom of speech, without most people even noticing.

Sorry if this is a little awkward to read, I’m a bit Quarantine-drunk.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It doesn’t just affect your freedom of speech. It also affects your right to privacy.

But in relation to your question, the way I see it is that you may feel that you can no longer say what you wanted to say because it could be being viewed by someone you don’t want to see it. You may not have anything to hide, but why does that mean that someone else should be able to know everything about you? Privacy and free speech are more intertwined than we initially think, and both are threatened by the encryption ban. Personally I believe that the greatest risk is leaning toward the privacy issue.