Encryption: Finding a Middle Ground That Enhances Online and Offline Security
News | May 20, 2016

On May 19, 2016, the EastWest Institute (EWI) hosted a comprehensive workshop on “Lawful Access and Security: A Transatlantic Perspective” in The Hague. Over 50 officials, industry players and experts from Europe, India and the U.S., collaborated to find approaches that will maximize commercial and individual information security and human security in today’s digital era.

This workshop took place as part of the conference on “Privacy in the Digital Age of Encryption and Anonymity Online” (May 19-20), co-hosted by the European Institute of Public Administration and Europol.

Key issues explored included:

  • What criminal circumstances/scenarios require law enforcement access to encrypted text?
  • How can law enforcement and civil society work with the technology industry to design and build technology that makes society safer?
  • What are the least intrusive methods of providing law enforcement access to digital evidence?
  • How will the Internet of Things affect law enforcement’s access to digital evidence?
  • What does competent oversight of special access look like?

The workshop established a working group to pursue middle ground approaches that enhance security both online and offline. EWI will continue to work with these experts over the next several months and will produce a formal report later this year.

Speakers included:

  • Chair: Bruce McConnell (EastWest Institute)
  • David O’Brien (Harvard University)
  • Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. (Manhattan District Attorney)
  • John Frank (Microsoft)
  • Kamlesh Bajaj (EastWest Institute)
  • Udo Helmbrecht (ENISA)