UN Official Calls on States, NGOs to Share Data on Encryption Technologies

MOSCOW, January 19 (Sputnik) — World governments and non-governmental organizations must share information and opinion on legal practices for the use of encryption technologies in their countries, the statement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said.

"The Special Rapporteur would like to encourage all interested non-governmental stakeholders … to provide their views on the appropriate scope of the right to freedom of expression as applied to encryption and anonymity. He would particularly appreciate receiving comments addressing this matter from legal, state practice, or technical perspectives," the statement reads.

States are called upon to provide relevant information as well, according to the statement. The information gathered will be used by David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, to prepare a report on legal aspects of encryption technologies and anonymous communication. The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in June 2015, according to the statement.

The use of encryption technologies has become a hot topic following the January Paris terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of 17 people. Last Monday British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that there should be no means of communication that the UK government cannot read and called to limit regulations on the use of encryption technologies to prevent terrorists from sharing information anonymously.

However, a recently revealed report by the US National Intelligence Council showed that encryption was the best defense against cyber threats including online attacks. The report praised US tech giants, namely Google, for using encryption technologies in order to protect their data.