Tech, Security Sectors Fear Renewed Crypto Fights Under Trump

As President-elect Donald Trump fills out national security and law enforcement posts in his new cabinet, the future of encryption may hang in the balance. On the campaign trail, the president-elect was a committed foe of cop-proof encryption systems that shield customer communications even from the communications provider. Most prominently, he urged supporters to boycott Apple over the company’s refusal to help the FBI bypass a security feature that prevented cracking into the encrypted iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

Supporters of strong encryption are also aware the president-elect has reined in some of his more controversial positions. They’re watching closely to see if his encryption stance may soften once he’s in the White House. “I think that’s going to be a prominent topic for a lot of the individuals engaged with the new administration, to make sure there’s a full understanding of the impact [of the encryption debate],” Ann Barron-DiCamillo, former director of the Homeland Security Department's Computer Emergency Response Team told Nextgov. “Understanding that impact and not just talking about it during a campaign is a very different place.”