Tools to break encryption
Andrew Crow made this Official Information request to New Zealand Customs Service
The request was partially successful.
From: Andrew Crow
Dear New Zealand Customs Service,
I am looking for more information and detail behind statement made in TVNZ article.
TVNZ article titled, "Digital strip searches at NZ airports force hundreds of Kiwis to surrender mobile and laptop passwords each year"
In that article it has paragraph of:
"We can seize their device at the moment, and we have tools to break that encryption," Bramford said.
There have been much debate about encryption in last weeks, many technical people stated the modern encryption can't be broken by governments.
I am looking to understand if this statement is correct; then what tools do you use to break encryption?
I do understand that revelling operational tool maybe protected from OIA, but this case it is that a statement was made that is not factual and no such tools can exist.
I feel that reviling such tools in public interest due to the current debate about governments and encryption breaking.
Under OIA I request:
1. Clarification of statements about encryption.
2. Names of the tools.
3. Any other information you feel would help in understanding the comment made to TVNZ
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Crow
From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service
Hi Andrew
Thank you for your request for information.
In accordance with section 15 of the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), Customs will respond to you as soon as reasonably practicable, and
in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the
request was received, being 6 July 2017.
Regards
Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing
| New Zealand Customs Service | PO Box 2218 Wellingtong 6140 |
[1][email address] | [2]www.customs.govt.nz
Connect with us:
[3]cid:image002.png@01D03976.BC932B30 [4]http://www.customs.govt.nz/Style%20Libra...
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Crow [mailto:[FOI #6142 email]]
Sent: Thursday, 6 July 2017 7:16
To: OIA
Subject: Official Information request - Tools to break encryption
Dear New Zealand Customs Service,
I am looking for more information and detail behind statement made in TVNZ
article.
TVNZ article titled, "Digital strip searches at NZ airports force hundreds
of Kiwis to surrender mobile and laptop passwords each year"
In that article it has paragraph of:
"We can seize their device at the moment, and we have tools to break that
encryption," Bramford said.
There have been much debate about encryption in last weeks, many technical
people stated the modern encryption can't be broken by governments.
I am looking to understand if this statement is correct; then what tools
do you use to break encryption?
I do understand that revelling operational tool maybe protected from OIA,
but this case it is that a statement was made that is not factual and no
such tools can exist.
I feel that reviling such tools in public interest due to the current
debate about governments and encryption breaking.
Under OIA I request:
1. Clarification of statements about encryption.
2. Names of the tools.
3. Any other information you feel would help in understanding the comment
made to TVNZ
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Crow
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[6][FOI #6142 email]
Is [7][Customs request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to New Zealand Customs Service? If so, please contact us using
this form:
[8]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[9]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained in this email message is intended only for the
addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the
New Zealand Customs Service.
This email may contain information that is confidential or legally
privileged. If you have received it by mistake, please:
(a) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email and the reply
from your system; and
(b) do not act on this email in any other way.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.customs.govt.nz/
3. https://www.facebook.com/NZCustoms
4. http://instagram.com/nzcustomsservice/
5. https://twitter.com/NZ_Customs
6. mailto:[FOI #6142 email]
7. mailto:[Customs request email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
hide quoted sections
From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service
Good morning Andrew
Attached is the response to your request for information.
Regards
Correspondence, Reviews and Ministerial Servicing Team
New Zealand Customs Service
The information contained in this email message is intended only for the addressee and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the New Zealand Customs Service.
This email may contain information that is confidential or legally privileged. If you have received it by mistake, please:
(a) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email and the reply from your system; and
(b) do not act on this email in any other way.
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this request
