Lifehacker, a leading weblog about productivity and software, recently interviewed Jeffrey Blatt, of counsel in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group and head of the firm’s technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) practice, at the RSA Conference 2017 in Singapore, where Jeffrey was speaking on the topic of “In Tech We Trust: Securing Digital Privacy in a Global Surveillance State.”

In the interview for an online article titled “The Battle Between Privacy and Security – Nowhere to Hide,” Jeffrey shared his insights on striking the right balance between users’ right to data privacy and the government’s right to access data for security purposes. He mentioned how a number of governments are currently pursuing a three-pronged approach to gather intelligence, whether by seeking access to data in clouds or mobile devices, or using malware to gain entry into devices, regardless of local laws in the jurisdiction where the data is located.

Jeffrey expressed his view that authorities can still do their jobs with respect to gathering intelligence while still allowing for a digital safe space for users. Commenting on potential solutions, he said, “One way to try to mitigate a risk is to make sure the users hold the encryption keys, to make sure the problem is pushed from a service provider to the user, making the government go to you, the owner of those emails.”

If you would like to read the full article, please visit the Lifehacker website.