Privacy is tech’s latest marketing strategy

The proliferation services and devices offering more secure methods of communication suggest there is a very real market for individuals who want to keep their private communications, well, private. With their recent changes -- along with less visible technical upgrades over the past year -- major tech companies like Apple and Google appear to be banking on average consumers taking the security into account when making purchasing decisions. But not everyone is happy about this shift.

FBI Director James Comey had harsh words for the companies: "What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves above the law." Many cybersecurity professionals say "backdoor" access or lawful intercept technology introduces insecurity into the larger ecosystem -- arguing that if there is a secret entrance for law enforcement, cybercriminals are likely to discover and exploit it as well.