Andre Yoskowitz
19 Sep 2014 13:49
Android L will be fully encrypted by default, says Google, part of smartphone makers ongoing efforts to thwart "snooping" from the NSA, police or other government agencies.
While Google has offered encryption for some its Android devices since 2011, the average user has no idea how to turn it on, or figure out what it does. Google is changing that by making encryption default as soon as you activate the device. You must have the devices's password/pin to be able to see anything stored on the device.
"For over three years Android has offered encryption, and keys are not stored off of the device, so they cannot be shared with law enforcement," added Google's Niki Christoff. "As part of our next Android release, encryption will be enabled by default out of the box, so you won't even have to think about turning it on."
Apple's iOS 8 also offers the same out of the box encryption and Windows is likely to move in the same direction in the near future. Apple says the encryption is so good that nobody can unlock or recover data, including law enforcement agencies.
Source:
Washington Post