A little old but I'm catching up on a few stories some may have missed the last couple weeks. UK officials are talking to Microsoft over fears the new version of Windows could make it harder for police to read suspects' computer files. Windows Vista is due to be rolled out later this year. Cambridge academic Ross Anderson told MPs it would mean more computer files being encrypted. He urged the government to look at establishing "back door" ways of getting around encryptions. The Home Office later told the BBC News website it is in talks with Microsoft. Unlicensed music Professor Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, was giving evidence to the Commons home affairs select committee about time limits on holding terrorism suspects without charge. He said: "From later this year, the encryption landscape is going to change with the release of Microsoft Vista." The system uses BitLocker Drive Encryption which can be linked to a chip called TPM (Trusted Platform Module) in the computer's motherboard. The system is aimed at preventing tampering with computers but it would also help prevent people from downloading unlicensed films or media. "This means that by default your hard disk is encrypted by using a key that you cannot physically get at... "An unfortunate side effect from law enforcement is it would be technically fairly seriously difficult to dig encrypted material out of the system if it has been set up competently." Read the rest of the article at the BBC.
The government needn't worry about making sure theres a back door in Vista's encryption. All Microsoft products are flawed anyway
