DEC 07, 2016 | EUROPEAN UNION
Industry Reaffirms Commitment to Work With Law Enforcement Authorities, Cautions Against Weakened Encryption and Data Localisation
Brussels – December 8 2016 – In a letter sent to Member States ahead of a meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Brussels, the digital technology industry voiced its continued support for improved cooperation between digital service providers and law enforcement authorities in instances where criminal investigations require access to evidence in cyberspace.
“Our industry shares Member States’ objective of improving cooperation with national authorities to address criminal threats in cyberspace. As responsible stewards of the information of enterprises and customers, we believe facilitating law enforcement authorities’ access to needed evidence can be achieved without the weakening of encryption or requiring localization of data. In choosing measures to facilitate the work of law enforcement authorities, we must ensure we do not undermine consumer privacy and the overall integrity of software and communications networks” said Thomas Boué, BSA Director General, Policy – EMEA.
“Our member companies take very seriously their obligation to work with law enforcement agencies as well as their obligation to protect customer data from unauthorised access. We welcome the progress achieved by the European Commission to date and believe a clear acceptance of a rule of law, that authorises data access only in defined and limited circumstances, subject to proper safeguards, is the best way to enhance trust, enable law enforcement activity, and at the same time preserve the interests in privacy and confidentiality,” said John Higgins, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE.
Justice and Home Affairs Ministers will meet today and tomorrow to discuss the progress achieved by the European Commission in implementing the June 2016 Council conclusions on improving criminal justice in cyber space. The Slovak Presidency of the Council will also inform Ministers on the outcome of its survey on the challenges for criminal justice in relation to the use of encryption. A Franco-German proposal to improve cooperation between electronic communication service providers and law enforcement authorities will also be discussed.
The letter can be found here.
À PROPOS DE BSA
BSA | The Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) est le principal organisme de défense et de promotion de l’industrie du logiciel auprès des administrations gouvernementales et sur le marché international. Ses membres comptent parmi les entreprises les plus innovantes au monde, à l’origine de solutions logicielles qui stimulent l’économie et améliorent la vie moderne.
Basée à Washington, DC et présente dans plus de 30 pays, BSA est pionnière en matière de programmes de conformité qui encouragent l’utilisation légale de logiciels et plaide en faveur de politiques publiques à même de promouvoir l’innovation technologique et de favoriser la croissance économique numérique.