FBI Stands Firm on 'Going Dark' Problem While Acknowledging Inflated Data

NextGov: The FBI won’t step back from its dire warnings about warrant-proof encryption systems despite acknowledging that officials grossly overstated the number of instances in which encryption stymied an investigation, an official said Wednesday.

FBI officials have been warning since 2014 that warrant-proof encryption systems are allowing terrorists and criminals to “go dark,” recruiting and planning operations where the bureau couldn’t track them.

A major bolstering point for that argument was the FBI’s claim that there were approximately 7,775 devices that the bureau had a warrant to access but could not access because of encryption during the 2017 fiscal year.

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