The demand for secure communications: a symptom of a much bigger problem

One of the most interesting trends in technology at the moment is the emphasis we are beginning to see on the development of tools and methods to try to guarantee secure communications: projects on Kickstarter, initiatives from established entrepreneurs, new developments from Google, and tenders put out by the FCC are all evidence of a clear interest in the topic, and that very soon we will see tools of this type being incorporated into everyday communications. Encrypting tools have been around for some time, but research shows that they are difficult to use in emails, and pretty much beyond the capabilities of the average user.

This is essentially a problem of usability: the need to make into a simple task something that is inherently complex.

Beyond the development of these kinds of tools, which are recommendable from the perspective of guaranteeing basic rights such as privacy and secure communications, I think it is important to think about how we got here. The evidence is clear: the boom in encryption software has been set in motion by the information released by Edward Snowden about widespread government spying.

Let’s spell this out: the biggest effort seen so far to protect a fundamental right has not been prompted by a threat from organized crime or criminals of any kind, but from the very governments that we have elected. Doesn’t this raise wide-ranging questions? In reality, government spying is simply a symptom of a much bigger problem: a deep-rooted crisis within our democracies that means that government is now seen by most people as their biggest threat. We now face a situation whereby the electorate, after having exercised their right to choose who they wish to govern them, now find that the people they have elected are the main threat to their basic rights.

This isn’t about some occasional misuse of technology, but a huge crack in the foundations of the system we live under. This isn’t something that we can solve with a sticking plaster: we must now face up to the task of creating a system whereby our elected representatives are fully accountable, and not a threat to our civil liberties. We must be represented by people who carry out their job openly, transparently and in good faith, rather than simply representing powerful economic lobbies.

This is not a problem to do with technology. We are talking here about the biggest crisis of confidence that we have ever faced, and of the inescapable need for a technology that has disrupted and redefined so many industries to now redefine the “industry” that affects all of us: the way that we govern ourselves as a society.

(En español, aquí)