91 Percent of Americans Would Be OK with a Backdoor in Their Software

[Exterminator]

Content source

http://news.softpedia.com/news/91-percent-of-americans-would-be-ok-with-a-backdoor-in-their-software-491567.shtml

63% of Americans are in favor of backdoors as part of the government's response to a national security threat
A recent survey reveals that Americans are quite OK with the idea of adding backdoors in their software, even if in many other surveys in the past they seemed to value their privacy a little bit more.

The survey, conducted by Vormetric and Wakefield, has become more interesting after in recent days, Apple and the US government seem to be butting heads in a public debate over encryption and the user's right to privacy.

With more and more tech companies opting to encrypt their data just to be sure law enforcement agencies stop spying on their users, the US government seems to have started to play dirty.

After Apple refused to turn over encrypted text messages arguing it cannot decrypt them, the Justice Department and the FBI are currently preparing to take the company to court, and force it to drop its encryption or add a backdoor to its applications.

Most security experts disagree with this approach and claim that by adding a backdoor into any software, that hidden gate can also be used by malicious actors as well, not just by government officials.

Americans are OK with backdoors, but still fear their own government
Asking regular Americans across the country what is their opinion on this topic, Vormetric found out that 91% of all respondents feel that despite the dangers to adding backdoors to encryption, they feel the risk is justified.

Survey takers aren't blind to this approach's dangers, and 69% of them feel that data accessed through a backdoor could easily be abused by hackers. The percentage is higher than those who fear the government will be willing to abuse a backdoor their private information, which is 62%.

If government officials would be to get a backdoor in encrypted communications, 63% of respondents would agree this should be done only in response to a national security threat, 39% only as part of a federal investigation, and only 29% would agree to it as part of a state or local investigation.

On the same topic, 34% of all Americans also fear that by adding backdoors, small businesses will suffer data breaches and eventually lose their competitive edge to other companies.

 

[frogboy]

Well to me that is just pure madness, but even over here most do not care that the government collects 100% of their meta data.

 

[Kate_L]

That is bad in so many ways. I will post a quote by George Carlin (my favorite comedian), "I love the freedoms we used to have".

 

[OokamiCreed]

Thing is, most don't know what they are agreeing to (misinformed, uninformed). And it's kind of impossible to get every one to take a vote so the stats are very inaccurate in my opinion. Even on a government scale. The real result could be worse or be a little better. Who knows. And of course you got propaganda which affects your opinions unless your educated. Education beats propaganda. A popular saying when defending American gun rights. Hope for the best, expect the worst.

 

[frogboy]

Thing is, most don't know what they are agreeing to (misinformed, uninformed). And it's kind of impossible to get every one to take a vote so the stats are very inaccurate in my opinion. Even on a government scale. The real result could be worse or be a little better. Who knows. And of course you got propaganda which affects your opinions unless your educated. Education beats propaganda. A popular saying when defending American gun rights. Hope for the best, expect the worst.

Agreed very well stated.

 

[hjlbx]

The face of stupidity...

 

[Deleted member 178]

US citizens are already "watched" since the cold war with the purpose to find communist/russian-friendly people. And since 9/11 the spying is even worse.

So im not surprised by this poll, americans fear terrorism so much that they are willing to sacrifice their liberty.

Damn , i feel like a did a speech in Metal Gear Solid

 

[illumination]

The face of stupidity...

So im not surprised by this poll, americans fear terrorism so much that they are willing to sacrifice their liberty.

Interesting... Why you may ask?

Well, I'm still trying to figure out why there are people that believe they have any kind of freedom and or Liberty on the internet. Believing they are not tracked, not only by their own governments, but by every company they come into contact with on the internet including their own ISP's.. It has been this way since the beginning, and anyone thinking Americans are the only ones that are tracked, and willfully so, should probably drop me a PM, as I have some prime swamp land I would like to sell them.

This whole argument on internet privacy has become redundant. There is no such thing.

 

[Deleted member 178]

Exactly , once online you are in the "matrix" , all you do is recorded at some point, since you access someone else computer/server.

Want have true privacy ? Forego technology and live in a desert or cave in the mountain...

 

[hjlbx]

So im not surprised by this poll, americans fear terrorism so much that they are willing to sacrifice their liberty.

This really only changed after 9/11 - media-driven paranoia and the government leadership buys into it all and develops all these programs to protect the average American. Phoooeee... a waste of resources = time & money.

Some of it is so monumentally stupid. US Homeland Security hands out million dollar grants to tiny Podunck towns so the local authorities can protect "assets"... like a fish pond. The Bin Laden types, you know, want to deny all of us Americans of those trophy trout... right ?

Ah, I better stop. This all irks me to no end...