Facebook rejects Attorney Generals plea for backdoor access to encrypted messages

Giving authorities a backdoor into such protected messages would only create a vulnerability for others to exploit, the heads of Facebooks WhatsApp and Messenger services told Barr and his counterparts in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Facebooks missive came in response to Barr and other officials open letter in October urging the company not to continue encrypting its messaging platforms without giving law enforcement a way in.

Facebook said it is looking to roll out end-to-end encryption which only allows the sender and recipient of a message to access its contents across all its messaging services.

But law-enforcement officials worry the practice will make it harder to crack down on child sex predators and terrorism concerns Barr repeated in a Tuesday speech.

Technological innovations that purport to protect privacy at all costs while impeding sworn law enforcers ability to go after violent criminals, child predators, human traffickers and terrorists, even once the enforcers satisfied the rigorous privacy protections built into the Fourth Amendment may not be worth the trade-off, Barr said.

The company said it will continue to respond to law-enforcement officials valid legal requests for information and tip them off to credible threats.