Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
washingtonpost.com
Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
1–10 of 153 posts
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#2But if they can encrypt the data so the NSA can't read it--that is, if the NSA can't force them to reveal the data--then why were they revealing it in the first place?
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#3It's theoretically impossible for the NSA to decrypt the data. In practice, however, it seems they can. So what's the point of encrypting then?
Is Google thinking they are smarter than the NSA at cryptography?
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#4A salient bit:
[Eric] Grosse echoed comments from other Google officials, saying that the company
resists government surveillance and has never weakened its encryption systems to
make snooping easier — as some companies reportedly have, according to the Snowden
documents detailed by the Times and the Guardian on Thursday.
“This is a just a point of personal honor,” Grosse said. “It will not happen here.”
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#5>Encrypting information flowing among data centers will not make it impossible for intelligence agencies to snoop on individual users of Google services, nor will it have any effect on legal requirements that the company comply with court orders or valid national security requests for data.
How does this do anything about pervasive NSA spying? The NSA has broken SSL and VPNs by corrupting the CAs and the VPN vendors.
What would really help is for Google to create a zero-knowledge tier of service and to charge users for using it to replace their ad revenue.
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#6Meh. My most importance source of data in Google's control is my email. They aren't doing much to help me protect myself there. My only wish is that they provide a stable hook for tools like Firegpg [1] to encrypt the email's plaintext.
Their constant tweaking of the textbox led FireGPG's developers to throw in the towel.
I understand that Google wants to read your emails to power their ads. I doubt the fraction of power-users that would enable FireGPG would put a fraction of a dent in their systems.
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#7Google has been cooperating with the NSA, I distrust Google, this looks more like damage control to me.
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#8Meh. My most importance source of data in Google's control is my email. They aren't doing much to help me protect myself there. My only wish is that they provide a stable hook for tools like Firegpg [1] to encrypt the email's plaintext. Their constant tweaking of the textbox led FireGPG's developers to throw in the towel. I understand that Google wants to read your emails to power their ads. I doubt the fraction of p…
Instead of trying to reverse-engineer a proprietary compressed Javascript codebase that changes daily, you should use Thunderbird and Enigmail.
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#9But if they can encrypt the data so the NSA can't read it--that is, if the NSA can't force them to reveal the data--then why were they revealing it in the first place?
I assume you mean encrypting data at rest since this development takes care of all in transit encryption, well, because of ads, analytics, other predictive data intensive services like "Google Now" etc.
Re: Google encrypts data amid backlash against NSA spying
#10Google has been cooperating with the NSA, I distrust Google, this looks more like damage control to me.
What US company doesn't cooperate with the NSA? Google responds to lawful requests by the US government as appropriate. It's up to US citizens to change the law if they don't like it.