Should Tech Firms Be Allowed To Hide Customer Data From The FBI?

Technology has made its way into every aspect of an average American's life. From connected cars to mobile banking, people's every action is recorded in a database somewhere. While that data has proven useful for law enforcement agencies trying to track down criminals, tech companies say they have a right to protect their consumers' identities, even from the FBI.

The Obama administration has been working to create a shared space in which private tech companies and public entities can work together to fight against cyber crime. By sharing information, both parties benefit from better hacking protection and more coordinated responses to data breaches. However, sharing in the tech space isn't always so cut and dry.

Companies like

and

to make their customers' digital footprints easily accessible to government agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation because they say it creates too many ethical and security issues.

The FBI says that the agency needs the ability to decrypt certain individual's private whatsapp or iPhone messages in order protect national security. The Bureau says that communication that is completely private provides terror organizations with a recruitment outlet and gives criminals a place to hide.

Some say the issue would be resolved by providing a "split key" which would distribute part of a decryption key to a private company, part to the government and part to a third party. That way, information that is deemed absolutely necessary could still be accessed. However, concerns about security in Washington has made tech firms reluctant to trust the government with sensitive data.