Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, has said that encryption is impeding investigations into the activities of ISIS. The agency reportedly knew in the days ahead of the November 2015 attacks in the French capital, Paris, that ISIS was planning something significant but could not be sure of the nature of the attack. Speaking about the attacks, Brennan said: “The individuals involved have been able to take advantage of the newly available means of communication that are – that are walled off, from law-enforcement officials.” In a speech at Stanford University on Tuesday, President Obama also warned against weakening encryption.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, has said that encryption is impeding investigations into the activities of ISIS. The agency reportedly knew in the days ahead of the November 2015 attacks in the French capital, Paris, that ISIS was planning something significant but could not be sure of the nature of the attack. Speaking about the attacks, Brennan said: “The individuals involved have been able to take advantage of the newly available means of communication that are – that are walled off, from law-enforcement officials.” The Paris attacks opened up a debate about the use of encrypted communication, and Brennan’s comments will add to pressure for back doors to be provided to encrypted apps for use by the intelligence agencies.