ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with different instances in which encryption technology becomes contentious. I show how even in debates that are shot through with references to technology, technology itself is the object of contestation. Two aspects are analysed in detail. First, I analyse the theory of technology that becomes visible on the level of practice. Complexity, ambiguity and the need for human input are characteristics of the theory of technology in the context of encryption. Second, debates about breaking encryption are scrutinised. I analyse not only the public controversy around Apple and the FBI’s attempts to decrypt an iPhone, but also more technical recommendations about how to secure data against future intrusions. As a result, I show how in this controversy Apple challenged the role of the state as the prime provider of security. In the second part of the chapter I address the discussion of encryption technology in bureaucratic guidelines. This analysis reveals that recommendations about key-length of encryption appear to be much more ambiguous and do not follow an overarching technocratic logic.
