We all use encryption every day when we go online
It's also used by many journalists to protect the identity of their sources
When lawmakers try to villainize encryption
it really does a disservice to the public debate
I think a lot of people think about encryption in terms of privacy
but it's often the most useful when we talking about free speech
The ability to speak freely to somebody without another party interfering
Encrypted communications were key to the 2013 reporting of NSA surveillance
The First Amendment or other rights like it guaranteed in other countries
are really a safety valve for democracy
when everything else breaks down
this is how the public can still hold their governments accountable
Increasingly, encryption is playing a huge role
in upholding those free expression rights
Using tools like secure drop, anyone can submit a story to a journalist and have their message encrypted.
One of the major projects we work on
is trying to teach and help journalists
learn how to use encryption tools
to better protect their sources
There are many people inside the US Congress
and other governments around the world
who have no understanding about how important encryption is
not just to our privacy, but to our security and our economy
By banning encryption, we're forcing tech companies to insert back doors
We're putting all of ourselves at risk
We need to make sure that our governments understand
that this is the case
Encryption helps make the internet work. Everyone needs to help keep it strong.
Learn more at mal.la/encrypt