@ISIDEWITHQuestionsNational securityStarted 1yr agoActive 5 days ago

Should the government require tech companies to provide backdoor access to encrypted communications for national security purposes?

Backdoor access means that tech companies would create a way for government authorities to bypass encryption, allowing them to access private communications for surveillance and investigation. Proponents argue that it helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies prevent terrorism and criminal activities by providing necessary access to information. Opponents argue that it compromises user privacy, weakens overall security, and could be exploited by malicious actors.

Answer Overview

Response rates from 27.6k America voters.

35%
Yes
65%
No
35%
Yes
65%
No

Historical Support

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9RH228W  from Maine  answered…11mos11MO

No, but there should be a process whereby such access can be granted if the appropriate federal warrant is given and ONLY for matters of national security.

 @9RBBBSQ  from Alabama  answered…11mos11MO

Yes, but access should only be granted in the case of emergencies (it should not be always accessible)

 @9T5V463 from Arizona  answered…10mos10MO

Only in the use of a committed crime and if there is credible information of threats that would put lives in danger

 @B3ZYM5D from Georgia  answered…3mos3MO

No, for the sake of Capitalism, Freedom, Federalism, Checks and Balances, and a weak-central government, it should be the companies' choices whether to do so or not

 @9SV9J3J from Missouri  answered…10mos10MO

While it could be helpful, it would be taking away privacy and security which could be used corruptly by those in power.

  @DylanJMcCombs03  from South Carolina  answered…8mos8MO

No, this infringes dangerously on an individual's right to privacy and has the potential for serious misuse.

 @9PZ2HB5 from New Jersey  answered…1yr1Y

No, the government should have their own tech to do so or give tech companies the option and negotiate a deal with tech companies so that they are fairly compensated.

 @B5XRWKF from Louisiana  answered…5 days5D

There should be a way for the appropriate people to have access to encrypted communications in order to keep our country safe but I am not familiar with technology enough to know how to be able to do that.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…12mos12MO

“Throw out everything you thought you knew about this election.”

By Chuck Todd, NBC News:We are getting awfully close to the moment when it might be fair to say, “Throw out everything you thought you knew about this election.”We are now going from a presidential campaign that left the public disinterested and at times disgusted it to a campaign that I could see generating an electorate that might be as interested, if not more so, as in 2008 and 2020, two of the highest-turnout elections in the last 50 years.If the Democrats do end up with a new nominee — and it’s looking more likely by the hour that they will — that, too, is likely to suddenly trigger interest in what the new nominee has to say, which in turn could engage the electorate in a way that the pre-debate version of this campaign just didn’t.But before we get to this campaign reset, the Democrats have to figure out what their ticket looks like and, more important, how quickly they can get their ticket selected and certified by the party.As of this writing, my sources indicate to me that about the only folks who are still trying to rationalize Biden’s staying in this race all share the last name of Biden, with the possible exception of Biden’s longtime chief political strategist, Mike Donilon — who, as the gatekeeper of the data that makes it to the president's desk, is starting to get blame along with Biden and his family for Democrats’ being in this position.

▲  2015 replies