Thousands of people pay tributes to Paris attack victims (Photo : Getty Images/ Hagen Hopkins)
In the past, several tech companies reported that they are receiving heavy pressure from government agencies to intelligence communities about loosening up restrictions in accessing private and encrypted messages and data.
The pressure levied on these companies just intensified following the revelation that perpetrators of the deadly Paris attack used encrypted messaging platforms in organizing and planning their attacks.
United States chairman for Senate Intelligence Committee Dianne Feinstein told MSNBC, "If you create a product that allows evil monsters to communicate in this way, to behead children, to strike innocents - whether it's at a game in a stadium, in a small restaurant in Paris, take down an airline - that is a big problem."
Law enforcement officials argue that tech companies should give government agencies special access in order to crack encrypted messages. On the other hand, tech companies said that encryption is part of their protocols in order to maintain a secure platform for their users to communicate.
In this debate, encryption comes out as a double edged sword. While it provides protection for casual users from malicious entities trying to access their personal messages, it is also a haven for terrorists to freely communicate with its network without the fear of being tracked by government and security agencies.
According to Gizmodo, government agencies are just jumping into the whole Paris attack bandwagon in order to get their hands into precious encrypted user data. The report added that law enforcement agencies should spot spreading fear tactics about privacy and encryption, instead focus more on the flawed system of intelligence gathering.
