DAVID: FOX BUSINESS ALERT
SETTING UP A BIG FIGHT OVER
NATIONAL SECURITY VERSUS PRIVACY
, ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL
BARR IS NOW REPORTEDLY ASKING
FACEBOOK TO DELAY PLANS TO EN
CRYPT FACEBOOK MESSAGES.
JACKIE DEANGELES HAS THE LATEST.
REPORTER: GOOD EVENING TO YOU
DAVID THAT'S RIGHT A NEW REQUEST
FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO
FACEBOOK SAYING HOLDUP ON PLANS,
FOR END-TO-END ENCRYPTION IN
MESSAGING.
NOW BARR SITES PUBLIC SAFETY AS
A CONCERN ACCORDING TO THE WALL
STREET JOURNAL.
REMEMBER ZUCKERBERG OUTLINED NEW
PLANS TO PROTECT USER PRIVACY,
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
THIS WAS AFTER THE BACKLASH OVER
DATA BREACHES AND FACEBOOK'S
ROLE IN THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICAL
SCANDAL SO WOULD IT SEEM
UNREASONABLE FOR FACEBOOK TO ADD
THE END-TO-END ENCRYPTION AND IT
DOES MAKE THE MESSAGES FOR
PROTECTED BUT IS THERE A POINT
WHERE THAT BECOMES A PROBLEM?
POTENTIALLY YES IT'S A BATTLE
OVER SECURITY, THAT'S BARR'S
ARGUMENT VERSUS PRIVACY.
THAT'S FACEBOOK'S ARGUMENT AND
THINK BACK TO THE SHOOTING IN IN
SAN BERNARDINO.
THE APPLE IPHONE, THE GOVERNMENT
NEEDED TO GET INTO THAT PHONE
AND IT COULDN'T AND APPLE
WOULDN'T HELP AND EVENTUALLY A
THIRD PARTY DID OPEN THE PHONE
BUT SHOULD IT BE THAT HARD WHEN
PUBLIC SAFETY IS INVOLVED?
IN THE CASE OF FACEBOOK, BARR
MADE THE REQUEST IN AN OPEN
LETTER ALSO SIGNED BY A BRITISH
AND AUSTRALIAN COUNTERPARTS, THE
JOURNAL REPORTS THAT LETTER WILL
BE PUBLISHED TOMORROW AND IN
THIS LETTER, BARR ASKS FACEBOOK
TO HOLD OFF ON ENCRYPTION UNTIL
IT CAN FIND A WAY TO GIVE
GOVERNMENT ACCESS TO THE
MESSAGING SERVICES FOR THOSE
INVESTIGATIVE PURPOSES.
"WE ARE WRITING TO REQUEST THAT
FACEBOOK DOES NOT PROCEED WITH
THIS PLAN TO IMPLEMENT
END-TO-END ENCRYPTION ACROSS ITS
MESSAGING SERVICES, WITHOUT
ENSURING THAT THERE IS NO
REDUCTION TO USER SAFETY AND
WITHOUT INCLUDING A MEANS FOR
LAWFUL ACCESS TO THE CONTENT OF
COMMUNICATION TO PROTECT OUR
CITIZENS ECERTAINLY DAVID, YOU
CAN SEE WHERE IT IS HERE AND IT
ALSO OPENS PANDORA'S BOX IS THIS
JUST ABOUT FACEBOOK OR WILL
GOVERNMENT WANT TO ACCESS
INFORMATION FROM OTHER COMPANIES
AS WELL?
BACK TO YOU.
DAVID: SECURITY VERSUS LIBERTY
IT'S QUITE CLEAR, JACKIE THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
JONATHAN, WITH ALL OF YOUR
LIBERTARIAN BACKGROUND I CAN'T
IMAGINE YOU BEING FOR BARR ON
THIS ONE.
>> DAVID, FACEBOOK IT'S LIKE
THEY ARE DAMNED IF THEY DO AND
DAMNED IF THEY DON'T.
BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT SAID
YOU'RE NOT PROTECTING PEOPLE'S
PRIVACY.
THEN FACEBOOK SAYS OKAY WE'LL
HAVE ENCRYPTED MESSAGES AND THE
GOVERNMENT SAYS OH, NO, NO, YOU
CAN'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF PRIVACY
THIS IS ANOTHER WAY FOR
GOVERNMENT TO GET INVOLVED IN A
PRIVATE BUSINESS IN A COMPANY
OFFERING A SERVICE THAT PEOPLE
WANT WHICH IS PRIVATE MESSAGING,
HANDS OFF THIS IS ANOTHER
EXAMPLE, WHETHER IT BE FACEBOOK
'S CRYPTOCURRENCY WHICH
GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY SAID THEY
WANT TO PUT THE KABOSH ON TO THE
ENCRYPTED MESSAGES, THE
GOVERNMENT HAS NO ROLE IN BILL
BARR AND THE REST OF THE
ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BUTT THE
HECK OUT.
>> JONATHAN HOW DID WE KNOW
YOU'D COME TO THAT CONCLUSION.
I DISAGREE WITH YOU 100%.
I THINK WHEN PUBLIC SECURITY IS
AT RISK YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO,
THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO BE ABLE TO
ACCESS THESE MESSAGES AND THERE
HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME IN OUR
COUNTRY'S HISTORY WHERE PHONE
TAPPING WASN'T ALLOWED, PEOPLE
WEREN'T ALLOWED TO LOOK AT --
>> WITH A WARRANT THOUGH, LIZ.
>> OF COURSE.
JONATHAN, PRESUMABLY YOU'D HAVE
TO HAVE A WARRANT HERE.
IT ISN'T JUST LIKE THEY'D BE
GOING THROUGH EVERYONE'S PHONES
WILLY-NILLY BUT THIS IS A CASE
WHERE IF THERE'S A KIDNAPPER OR
A TERRORIST WITH A BOMB AND THEY
KNOW THEY ARE COMMUNICATING WITH
OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR GROUP VIA
A MESSAGE APP THAT YOU CANNOT
PENETRATE THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO
BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT.
THAT'S THE END OF THE STORY AND
A PRETTY REASONABLE REQUEST.
>> LIZ TO YOUR POINT IF YOU
HAVE A WARRANT, THEY WOULD BE
FOOT I'LL BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY
ENCRYPTED AND THAT MEANS THAT
THEY ARE NOT PUTTING A BACK DOOR
SO THEY DON'T PUT A BACK DOOR
THAT IT'S ENCRYPTED.
SO TO JONATHAN'S POINT I THINK
THAT YOU'RE GOING AFTER A
BUSINESS, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET
THEIR INFORMATION, PEOPLE WANT
PRIVACY THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
WE'RE GOING TO VALUE IN THE
FUTURE AND IF ANYTHING YOU CAN
START USING TELEGRAM BECAUSE
THAT EN CRYPTS ALL OF THEIR
MESSAGES BUT TO YOUR POINT WHAT
THEY RAISE IS THE CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY SO JONATHAN WHEN YOU
HAVE A WORLD THAT IS
INCREASINGLY INVOLVED IN A
SOCIAL MEDIA EVERYTHING ONLINE
IS JUST IN OUR DAILY LIVES, AND
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY TRAFFICKING
GOING ON EASE FACEBOOK PLATFORM,
DO YOU NOT WANT TO COMBAT THAT?
>> YEAH, CERTAINLY CHRISTINA.
YOU'RE SO GREAT WITH THE RED
HERRING, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IS
ILLEGAL AND IT'S TERRIBLE AND
SHOULD BE PROSECUTED BUT THAT
SHOULDN'T BE USED AS AN EXCUSE
TO VIOLATE THE RIGHTS.
TO HAVE A PRIVATE ENCRYPTED
E-MAIL IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT
TO USE.
DAVID: BUT THE REAL QUESTION
JONATHAN IS WHETHER OR NOT THERE
SHOULD BE A BACK DOOR IN SOME OF
THESE ENCRYPTIONS, FOR THE
POLICE, FOR THE CIA, WHOEVER
CONSIDERS IT TO BE A NATIONAL OR
LOCAL EMERGENCY DON'T YOU THINK
IF THERE IS A WARRANT AND A
LEGITIMATE REASON THERE SHOULD
BE A BACK DOOR FOR AUTHORITIES.
>> DAVID THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS
HASN'T EVEN BEEN LAUNCHED YET.
DAVID: YOU'RE AVOIDING THE
QUESTION WHICH IS NOT USUAL FOR
YOU.
IF THE TECHNOLOGY IS HAMMERED
DOWN, SHOULD THERE BE A BACK
DOOR FOR AUTHORITIES TO GET IN
IF THEY NEED TO?
>> I THINK THAT IT IS UP TO THE
JUDGE TO ISSUE THE WARRANTS AND
I DON'T THINK IT'S FACEBOOK'
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE IT
THAT'S MY OPINION.
>> BUT SUPPOSE THAT THERE IS A
WARRANT AND IT CAN'T BE EXECUTED
BECAUSE OF THIS ENCRYPTION, THAT
KIND OF RENDERS THE WARRANT MOOT
. THAT'S REALLY THE WHOLE POINT.
A WARRANT WOULD ONLY BE ISSUED
IF THERE WAS REALLY A SECURITY
ISSUE OF SUBSTANTIAL IMPORTANCE
AND BY THE WAY I THINK THAT IT'S
PRETTY CRAZY THAT FACEBOOK IS SO
INTENT ON PRIVACY.
DAVID: QUICK, QUICK.