It's Like Talking To a Low-Tech Uncle This Whole Backdoor Thing

I know you've got that slightly annoying uncle that you love so much because they're just adorable the way they are. But sometimes, it's difficult to explain how technology works for them.

For example, I try to explain what Internet marketing is. All they know is the television era as advertising and marketing. It's hard.

Now, it's the same situation for many of the US' tech companies when they try to explain backdoors to Western politicians.

In an effort to beef up security and intelligence-gathering, Western governments are urging tech companies to create backdoors and help them gather more intelligence.

Almost everyone is in disagreement with this move. UN's Human Rights experts had voiced out their opposition to the Snooper's Charter. They would probably not side with this one.

World governments don't understand that once you urge companies to create backdoors to messaging and communications applications, it's a backdoor for everybody. It's not just a mole city for companies and government officials but also for hackers looking to make some quick buck.

Modern messaging applications work like this:

The message from your chat application gets encrypted with a unique decrypter, both of which are sent to the receiving end of your message. Only the receiver's messaging app can collect the decrypter and read the message. This is a privacy guarantee that locks out all tech companies, service providers and the government from private communications.

Now, what's the consequence when companies create backdoors? Well, total lack of confidence for using technology.

And trust me, that's a sad, sad world to live in.