Ex-GCHQ Boss: Encryption Backdoors Are a Threat to All

Former GCHQ boss Robert Hannigan has argued that governments should never force tech companies to build encryption backdoors in their products and services as it will weaken security for the majority. Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today program, Hannigan went further than he did when in charge at the spy agency by claiming explicitly that end-to-end encryption of the sort used by WhatsApp, iMessage and other platforms is generally a force for good. “Building in backdoors is a threat to everybody and it’s not a good idea to weaken security for everybody in order to tackle a minority,” he said.