Private encryption keys are what stand between data and data thieves. Whether it’s the government, private companies or cyber criminals, these private keys are a user’s best defense. Top VPN provider VyprVPN recommends that all Internet users secure these keys.
Private Keys and Internet Data Sharing
There are laws that require service providers to cooperate with the authorities when they are conducting criminal investigations. This happened to Lavabit when the government wanted to snoop on one user’s emails. Lavabit was a popular provider of secure email services. But because the government wanted to investigate a user, they were ordered by the court to give the keys over to the authorities.
Doing this would violate the privacy of all the users of Lavabit email. And it would also violate the specific user’s privacy because the keys would allow access to the actual content of emails, which is not legal. The company therefore refused to share the private encryption keys. They closed down instead before they could be forced to do so. Lavabit was held in contempt and is still being prosecuted over the private keys issue.
Everyone believes that Lavabit was ordered to release their private keys so the government could spy on Edward Snowden. Because of a technicality, it has still not been decided whether the government was within its rights to demand the private keys. Again, the issue it that the keys would have opened up all of Lavabit users’ private communications.
So far so good, however, since the government has not succeeded in obtaining access to the secured data. The laws on providing technical assistance to the government as they conduct investigations are unclear on the issue of private encryption keys. This means that encryption is still the best defense that people have against forcible data gathering. The law can force companies to share data, but it cannot force companies to decrypt the data or give the government the means to do so.
