Ban encrypted messages? Why UK prime minister's plan won't work
Culture
Government folks have a few ideas to share with you about cyber security.
I'm Bridget Carey, and this is your CNET update.
[MUSIC]
As hacking attacks increase, governments are getting more involved in cyber security, and it's not always a good thing.
On Monday, the UK prime minister David Cameron said if he's reelected,.
He'll work to ban encrypted messaging apps, like WhatsApp, Snapchat, maybe even Apple's iMessage service.
His view is that the government needs to be able to tap into chatting services through a back door to monitor possible terrorist communications.
And the government can't do that when apps use secure encryption.
Well that's not gonna fly with tech companies that are beefing up security.
You can't create a backdoor that only lets the good guys in.
If there's a hole, it's gonna be exploited by hackers.
And with hacking attacks on the rise, we need enhanced encryption now more than ever.
President Barack Obama's administration has its own cyber security proposals.
Among them, the administration wants private companies to be open with the government about cyber threats.
If more companies work with federal agencies, then the hope is that it's easier to fight hackers as a team.
But there are questions regarding privacy.
Such as, how much data will companies share with the government to stop cyber crime?
Everyone wants more information to have a stronger defense against attacks, but what private consumer data needs to be given up to do that?
Moving on to other news,.
Facebook is teaming up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to put Amber alerts in your News Feed when a child in your area has gone missing.
You'll see a photo of the missing child their name and description as well as a license plate number and the details on the suspected abductor.
Looking ahead this year we're gonna start to see some notable advancements in real time speech translation for different languages.
Google is following Skype.
And is said to be working on an update to its Translate app.
It's gonna be able to automatically recognize a spoken language and then translate it into text on your screen in your language.
That's according to a report from the New York Times.
It goes beyond saying a phrase into your phone and then hearing it read back to you in English.
Last week at CES, we saw dozens of drones that can fly, but here is one that prefers the sand.
A team of engineers working with Disney Research in Switzerland.
Created the beach bot.
It's designed with a turtle body.
The beach bot creates large drawings in the sand with a rake dragging behind to create art.
The robot knows where it is in the sand by scanning poles in the corners of the designated drawing area.
It's similar to how some robot vacuums know where to clean in your home.
That's your tech news update, and you can find more details on all of these stories at cnet.com.
From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.
[MUSIC]
