Rudd deeply misguided in encryption row warns Sam Dumitriu

Following calls from Amber Rudd to abolish Whatsapp's end-to-end encryption, Sam Dumitriu warns against this deeply misguided move from the Home Secretary. 

Sam Dumitriu, Head of Projects at the Adam Smith Institute, said:

"Amber Rudd's call on Whatsapp to give the government backdoor access to your private communications is deeply misguided.

"It is mathematically impossible to build a backdoor for just the good guys. It means building a backdoor to your private messages for Putin's favourite hacker Guccifer. It means opening up your private photos to perverts like the iCloud hacker. End-to-end encryption keeps us safe.

"Khalid Masood wasn't even on MI5's 3000 strong list of suspected jihadis. Ending end-to-end encryption would not have stopped the Westminster attack, but it would mean a free-for-all for cybercriminals and Putin's hackers."

For further comment or to arrange an interview please get in touch flora@adamsmith.org, +44 20 7222 4995.