Governments are piling pressure on tech giants like Facebook and Apple to grant authorities access to encrypted messages.
to grant authorities access to encrypted messages. Several countries are calling for so-called "backdoors" which would allow them to bypass encryption.
But governments are concerned about the technology preventing law enforcement from investigating severe crimes like terrorism and child sexual abuse. The former intelligence consultant in 2013 leaked classified documents to journalists describing surveillance programs run by the NSA to tap people's cell phones and internet communications. To some, he is viewed as a hero; to others, a traitor to his country.Calling out Facebook and other tech giants, Snowden said: "The same companies that have worked so hard to spread encryption over the years are now beginning to fear the next step.