How intelligence agencies (like the NSA) get their data to spy on people? How are they able to get private data that are protected and encrypted?
In: Technology
There’s very few things that are truly “private” and “encrypted “
NSA specifically can “see” everything that is transmitted in the US. If it’s encrypted the protocol that makes things encrypted has a pattern/algorithm that makes the encryption AND the is used to decrypt things.
However MOST encryption software publish something along the lines of “this is the special math we use to encrypt things, check our work” both to “show their work” and to see if anyone can poke holes in it.
The intelligence agencies reach out to most companies and say “hey, what you made is great and all, but we need a backdoor in case a terrorist cell uses your encryption to see what they’re doing”
Some companies say yes for patriotic duty, others say “oh I don’t know” until the agency pays out some cash and very few companies flat out say no, people are entitled to privacy.
Other times an agency (usually NSA, but also DARPA or others) have a group that their sole job is to crack to encryption (and not tell the public) so they can read the data unencrypted.
How’s this legal? Well if they pluck it out of the air (which is possible for a lot of internet traffic) or by simply targeting a specific cell tower, they don’t need a warrant as they’re casting a net instead of going after one person. Even though they are sifting all the data to get the information of ONE target.
In other words words, the only thing that is truly safe and “encrypted” are your thoughts …for now
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