By Danny Yadron And Devlin Barrett
British Prime Minister David Cameron plans to lobby President
Barack Obama this week to more publicly criticize U.S. technology
companies, such as Facebook Inc., that offer encrypted
communications that can't be unscrambled even with a court order,
two people familiar with the matter said.
The move would mark an escalation for Mr. Cameron, who has
promised to ban encrypted communications in the U.K. if he wins
re-election this year unless technology companies offer a way for
British spies and police to eavesdrop. The U.S. Justice Department
also has sought a way to access encrypted communications with a
court order, but has been blocked amid civil-liberties
concerns.
The move by Mr. Cameron, a Conservative, could put pressure on
Mr. Obama to pick a side in a fight between privacy advocates and
law enforcement over secret messaging in the digital age.
"Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply
isn't possible to read?" Mr. Cameron said in a speech Monday. "No.
We must not."
Mr. Cameron also plans to mention his push to require
social-media companies to proactively monitor their users to spot
budding national-security threats, the people familiar with the
matter said. Tech executives say that would be a nonstarter in the
U.S.
Once a niche concern, encryption has been thrust into national
debates after former National Security Agency contractor Edward
Snowden leaked secrets on U.S. and British surveillance
practices.
In response, U.S. tech companies, including Google Inc., Apple
Inc. and Facebook, started taking extra steps to make sure spies
couldn't read user data without court approval and their knowledge.
This fall, Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service announced it had
started a new type of encryption that even the company can't
unscramble.
Apple drew rare public criticism from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation last year when it announced the its new iPhone
software would prevent police from viewing the information stored
on a suspect's phone unless they learn his password--even if they
have a search warrant.
FBI Director James Comey accused Apple of impeding law
enforcement. But Apple hasn't backed down, and the White House
warned Mr. Comey of picking a fight with one of the most popular
companies in the U.S., American officials have said.
Apple and Facebook couldn't immediately be reached for comment
Wednesday.
Mr. Cameron will try to push Mr. Obama "in the direction of what
the FBI has said about this," a person familiar with the prime
minister's intentions said.
The British Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to
a request for comment.
Though a spokeswoman, the White House declined to comment on a
meeting that hasn't taken place yet.
Messrs. Cameron and Obama are scheduled to meet for a working
dinner on Thursday, as well as additional meetings and a news
conference on Friday.
The meeting comes amid increased concerns about radicalization
and terror recruitment in the U.S. and Europe following the recent
terrorist attacks in Paris. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has
claimed credit for that attack, though Western intelligence
officials haven't substantiated those claims.
In addition to cybersecurity and technology issues, the leaders
are expected to discuss the state of the economy, trade issues, and
other foreign-policy topics including the war against Islamic
State, counterterrorism efforts, Ebola and Russia.
Byron Tau contributed to this article.
Write to Danny Yadron at danny.yadron@wsj.com and Devlin Barrett
at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
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