Backdoors to the future? [Communications Cyber Security]

THE EDWARD SNOWDEN revelations were the first time many Internet users ¿¿¿ home and business ¿¿¿ became aware of the fact their public-network emails and other online activity logs could be made accessible to unauthorised scrutiny. However, recent suggestions that communications hardware is also ´open´ to access by foreign agencies will come as a further eye-opener. Should we be so surprised? Arguably, these suggestions are rooted in the fact that for the last 15 years most of us have embraced the joys of the ´Internet revolution´ with barely a thought for the possibility that some of the enabling hardware we use may also be ´leaky´ - and, moreover, was manufactured as such.