Why Terrorists Love Silicon Valley

[Commentary] Silicon Valley never met a problem it couldn’t solve -- until now. Top Internet companies say there is no technical way for them to protect their users’ legitimate privacy with encryption while also enabling intelligence agents and law enforcement to gain access to what terrorists plot online. FBI director James Comey says Silicon Valley’s no-can-do attitude is “depressing.” Terror attacks are increasingly planned online, outside the reach of intelligence and law enforcement. Islamic State reaches an estimated 200,000 prospects daily through posts on social media.

Once a recruit is identified, ISIS tells him to switch to an encrypted smartphone. Legal wiretaps are useless because the signal is indecipherable. Even when the devices are lawfully seized through court orders, intelligence and law-enforcement agencies are unable to retrieve data from them. On July 8, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing, “Going Dark: Encryption, Technology, and the Balance Between Public Safety and Privacy.” Lawmakers aren’t giving up on finding a way to accommodate both of these important interests. Neither should Silicon Valley.