The Link Between Encryption And Morality
Encryption refers to a method in which plaintext or other types of data are converted from a readable form to an encoded version. The encrypted text can only be decoded by an entity with access to the decryption key. Encryption has become broadly used in today’s world to provide data security, mostly for end-to-end protection of data that is transmitted across networks. It is also used to protect sensitive information or data stored n computers, servers and other devices with internet capabilities such as phones and tablets. This is done by providing several layers of protection, which are, authorization, privacy, integrity and authentication.
Though encryption has provided safer means to convey messages from one internet end to the other, it has also encouraged the increased transmission of terrorist and crime affiliated messages between criminals. Terrorists have designed ways of making communication by encoding such messages in maps and photos associated with pornographic bulletin boards which are garbled and transmitted through spam emails. As such it becomes difficult for security agents to detect or isolate such messages. Encryption, therefore, makes it difficult for security agents to avert possible criminal activities such as terrorist attacks or kidnappings before they happen and also hinders them from obtaining crucial evidence during an investigation thereby exposing the prosecution of such criminals to failure. This raises a conflict of interest between security enforcement by governments and software developers ensuring the security of their users’ information.
To help in addressing the security concerns, developers of encryption technology should be required to create a backdoor to their technology for use by security agents in specific matters of security concern. This is because in some instances, crucial evidence which could lead to the rescue of a kidnapped person or provide sufficient evidence to be used in the prosecution of a criminal suspect. This backdoor should only be submitted to the security forces on specific instances only to be determined by a court of law.
Moral Ethics to Consider
Morality refers to the principle of separating the right from the wrong. Morality is everyone’s duty, and as such, the developers of encryption technology are also required to ensure that their actions encourage morality. Deontological theories of morality provide support the provision of a backdoor for all encryptions. According to deontological theories of morality, an action’s rightfulness or wrongness depends on whether it fulfils a moral duty and not the consequences of such actions. One of the deontological theories philosophers David Ross argues that when two or more moral responsibilities clash, the individual situation is analyzed to establish which duty overrides the other. Ross also presents a list of prima facie (self-evident) duties which everyone needs to follow, among them being justice. As such, requiring encryption technology developers works in ensuring that this moral duty is achieved by allowing the security forces and governments agencies to achieve justice.
Another theory supporting the provision of backdoors by encryption developers is the utilitarianism theories. According to utilitarian theorists the outcomes of an action help to determine its morality. This means that actions which have the greatest good for the largest number of people should be considered over the others. Encryption developers are morally obligated to their users to ensure the security of information transmitted through their products. However, providing a backdoor to the end-to-end encryption ensures that the safety of other people and the government efforts to ensure security has a higher morality value. As such, the encryption developers will be addressing a much more important moral obligation by providing backdoors to their encryptions. However, to ensure the privacy of the technology users, strict regulations should be put in place by the necessary legislative arms of the government to avoid a violation of the privacy requirement.
References
- Matusitz, J. (2013). Terrorism & communication. Thousand Oaks, Calif. : SAGE.
- Tavani, H. (2011). Ethics and technology (3rd ed. ). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
