France to push for encryption backdoors

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is pushing for an international coalition to end uncrackable encryption, the minister told reporters. 

Cazaeneuve says he will start forming that coalition at the end of the month. 

{mosads}”Many messages relating to the execution of terror attacks are sent using encryption; it is a central issue in the fight against terrorism,” Cazeneuve said after a meeting on security, according to Reuters. 

“France will make proposals. I have sent a number of them to my Germany colleague,” he said.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed credit for a number of terrorist attacks in France in recent weeks, including violence at a church and at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice. The group is known to use encrypted chat programs to evade law enforcement and intelligence agencies. 

Other nations, including Brazil and Russia, have appeared willing to join an international effort to give law enforcement officials access to encryption. In the United States, voices against strong encryption include Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and FBI head James Comey.  

With few exceptions, however, researchers who specialize in security do not believe encryption backdoors can be securely implemented. They warn efforts like France’s will endanger all those who use encryption, not only criminals.