This is just one of many cases in which an official apparently abused his position. We often hear the argument that pedophiles and other criminals use cryptographic systems to cover their crimes. Obviously, anyone who uses encryption must have something to hide. The assumption seems to be that they're engaging in criminal activities. While this may well be true in some instances, there are legitimate reasons for protecting data.
Cryptography provides assurance on the validity and ownership of the data that's encrypted.
Ironically, the weakened cryptographic systems desired by the US government would bring the validity of evidence found online into question. When in doubt, blame technology. About the author Carole Fennelly is a partner in Wizard's Keys Corporation , a company specializing in computer security consulting. She has been a Unix system administrator for almost 20 years on various platforms, and provides security consultation to several financial institutions in the New York City area.