David Cameron is "technologically illiterate" on Encryption Ban

19 Jan 2015
Lib Dem logo bird projected on blockwork

Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert said the Prime Minister's plans to ban encryption technology are "technologically illiterate".

Strong encryption technology is used by a number of major websites but under Cameron's plans websites would be required to store data and hand that over to the intelligence agencies.

Responding to David Cameron's proposals to allow British intelligence agencies to have the power to break the encryption technology Julian said: "Cameron's plan to ban encryption technology means he is either cynically trying to sound tough on terror, or he simply doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. I wonder if the Prime Minister realises his ludicrous proposal is technologically illiterate?

"We all know online shopping, online banking and private messaging all use encryption, so it is crazy to suggest we should ditch it. It would open ourselves to attack from anyone with 10 minutes hacking experience.

"What is even more bizarre is Cameron chose to make this big announcement in the same week he has hotfooted it to Washington to call for greater cyber security. He is completely contradicting himself.

"By trying to ban encryption the Tories risk serious damage to our economy, freedom, and security. It is vitally important that we tackle terrorism effectively - but robbing us all of our online security is no way to do it."

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.