President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are expected to discuss the issue of widening government access to data from U.S. Internet companies. (Olivier Douliery / Pool/EPA)
British Prime Minister David Cameron, in Washington to meet with President Obama, is expected to raise the issue of widening government access to data from U.S. Internet companies — a sensitive subject on both sides of the Atlantic in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris.
Last week’s attacks have renewed European concerns that intelligence officials lack the authority to obtain the communications of terrorism suspects who use encrypted online services. On Monday, Cameron suggested he would consider banning American messaging services like Snapchat or WhatsApp if intelligence agencies were not provided with the authority to intercept communications.
But in Britain, as in the United States, such calls have revived the debate over the proper scope of government surveillance and how to balance security interests against privacy concerns.
“The prime minister’s point is that we have to find a way of closing down the space where terrorists operate on the Internet,” said one British official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. “He’s asking, ‘How do we work with tech companies to make this work?’ ”
“We did this with child abuse and child pornography,” added the official. When it comes to terrorism, “we are not where we need to be.”
Technology companies, however, are still smarting from revelations about U.S. and British surveillance from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Seeking to restore consumer confidence, they have increasingly begun to encrypt communications and data stored on mobile devices.
That, in turn, has alarmed law enforcement and intelligence officials, who say the encryption prevents them from gaining access to suspects’ data even when they have court orders.
Although U.S. law enforcement officials, including FBI Director James B. Comey, have sharply criticized technology companies for developing new forms of encryption, Obama — who unveiled a series of surveillance reforms a year ago this week — has said little about the issue.
Cameron, by contrast, has been forceful in his arguments in favor of widening government authorities’ access to communications data, telling Parliament: “If we want the police and the security services to protect the public and save lives, they need this capability.”
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama and Cameron will probably talk about cybersecurity during the prime minister’s visit, but he declined to say whether the president shared Cameron’s concerns about the need for broader government access to online communications.
“There are going to be lots of conversations about this between the United States and our allies and partners around the globe,” Earnest said. “There also are going to be a lot of conversations between senior administration officials and technology companies here in the United States as we try to strike this right balance.”
Cameron and Obama planned to have dinner on Thursday and then meet more formally on Friday. In addition to cybersecurity, the two leaders are likely to discuss other issues, such as NATO efforts in Ukraine.
Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday discussed their support for international financing for Ukraine and concerns about an increase in Russian-backed separatist violence in the east of the country.
Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.