FBI chief tells Senate committee we’re doomed without crypto backdoors

James Comey, the director of the FBI, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the government should have the right to lawfully access any device or electronic form of communication with a lawful court order, even if it is encrypted. Director Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates briefed the committee and complained that keys necessary to decrypt communications and electronic devices often reside "solely in the hands of the end user"-- which they said is emblematic of the so-called "Going Dark problem." Companies should bake encryption backdoors into their products to allow lawful access, they said. "We are not asking to expand the government's surveillance authority, but rather we are asking to ensure that we can continue to obtain electronic information and evidence pursuant to the legal authority that Congress has provided to us to keep America safe," read the joint prepared remarks.

"Mr. Chairman, the Department of Justice believes that the challenges posed by the Going Dark problem are grave, growing, and extremely complex." To counter this, the duo said the government is actively developing its own decryption tools. The remarks said, "We should also continue to invest in developing tools, techniques, and capabilities designed to mitigate the increasing technical challenges associated with the Going Dark problem. In limited circumstances, this investment may help mitigate the risks posed in high priority national security or criminal cases, although it will most likely be unable to provide a timely or scalable solution in terms of addressing the full spectrum of public safety needs."