Why Are We Fighting the Crypto Wars Again?
The premise of the crypto wars are that we don&#x27;t really have a <i>right</i> to encryption.<p>Shouldn&#x27;t we stop pussyfooting around this issue and instead demand that encryption is a fundamental right just as freedom of speech is a fundamental right?<p>Since everything we say and do today involves computers and the Internet, we can&#x27;t have free speech, privacy, liberty, or personal security without encryption.<p>We should assert that right. We should have the right to use encryption for our communications and to secure our documents at rest, and never be compelled to reveal a key or passphrase. Doesn&#x27;t this sound like something that would have been in the Bill of Rights if it were written today?<p>We can still mention all the other reasons why encryption is good and beneficial, but always starting our conversations with the words: encryption is a fundamental right.