The U.S. government doesn't have the ability to crack some sophisticated types of encryption, putting investigators of terrorism threats at a disadvantage

On one hand, U.S. businesses need to protect their trade secrets because national security is tied closely to economic security, but on the other hand encryption might be helping criminals hide their secrets, Louis Freeh former director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), told a gathering of cybersecurity experts Monday. The U.S. government doesn't have the ability to crack some sophisticated types of encryption, putting investigators of terrorism threats at a disadvantage, Freeh said at the Computer Security Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. In 2000, U.K. lawmakers passed a law allowing law enforcement agents to get warrants requiring encryption vendors to share their keys, but U.S. investigators have to rely on cooperation from vendors, which can result in a slow process, Freeh said. Freeh didn't go so far as advocating that the U.S. Congress pass a law similar to the U.K. encryption law, but he said an "intricate" balance between domestic security and the rights of commerce and free speech is still being worked out. Judges offer strong protections to U.S. residents to keep law enforcement from overstepping its bounds in the pursuit of information on suspects, Freeh said during a question-and-answer session when an audience member asked what is being done to protect people.