This intervention offers an analysis of the current politics around encryption and related implications. Encryption is a key element of the existing and emerging communications networks and infrastructures and crucial for enactment of privacy-by-design principles. While many might know that the current crypto-tensions are re-iterating the so-called crypto-wars of the 1990s, the issue goes much further back in the history: there were bans on the use of the “coded language” already in the era of the telegraph – the technology that some termed “the Victorian Internet”. In our times anti-encryption aspirations have been tamed by the states’ economic interests, since that would compromise various key economic activities. Lately, more interests competing with those of securitisation agenda have been emerging, e.g. related to the functioning of the e-government. Besides, the debate is complemented by arguments linking cryptology to the freedom of speech. As noted by the ENISA’s chief U. Helmbrecht, the US restrictions put on the use of strong encryption in the 1990s fired back. Data breaches and hacking attacks have become a sweeping new normal. The current wave of anti-encryption agenda has seen a number of top political level opponents on both sides of the Atlantic and was condemned by the UN. In Europe, the possibility to enshrine obligations of wider application of encryption is going to be a hot topic during the just launched e-Privacy Directive reform. At the same time, the Council of Ministers, led on this issue by Germany and France, is looking into the ways for legislative workarounds for the existing encryption-related challenges. Meanwhile, scientific progress promises “uncrackable” encryption such as “twisted light” enabled quantum cryptography, now being tested even in satellite transmissions – one of the least interception-proof communications systems. It is then to be seen what legal and regulatory terrain these technological advances will find.
During the last European Identity and Cloud Conference in Munich on 11 May 2016, Kantara unveiled an industry-wide drive to create a non-profit, open professional association to represent and certify digital identity professionals. Since then, more than 380 individuals have signed the 'pledge' to support the initiative.
During the past few months, a Kantara Discussion Group has actively developing various aspects of the association in several project streams. One of these project streams is developing a 'Body of Knowledge' which will contain concepts and information that an ID Pro is expected to master, in their specific deployment circumstances.
The Body of Knowledge is structured around a taxonomy - an organizational scaffolding used to categorize information - that uses a regular structure within the different information domains to promote consistency. It is a 'living document' and as such, is designed to be extendable to accommodate future authors’ needs and priorities. The taxonomy should allow the project stream participants and future contributors party to fill in portions of the body of knowledge piece by piece, without having to create a linear narrative.
Key Takeaways:
