Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Maria Koomen
Source: Getty
Summary: The encryption debate in the European Union (EU) continues to evolve, with new drivers, stronger tools, and increasingly higher stakes. The debate among policymakers and experts is maturing, but there is a widening knowledge gap between political elites and the public around encryption.
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Introduction
The encryption debate in the European Union (EU) continues to evolve, with new drivers, stronger tools, and increasingly higher stakes. The debate among policymakers and experts is maturing, but there is a widening knowledge gap between political elites and the public around encryption. In Europe, encryption is perceived in two conflicting ways. It is a tool for privacy and security and therefore is an essential component of Europe’s open societies and markets; but it is also argued to be a shroud for criminal activity and therefore an obstacle to law enforcement. Efforts to weaken or break encryption to combat crime also undermines European privacy and security.