Privacy

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the encryption keys, why can't the government just sneak on them? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by zaknenou@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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disclaimer: I'm just asking to get understanding of the theory behind network traffic encryption, I know this doesn't happen irl most likely.

Let's take https connection for example. I like watching revolutionary things on youtube and do not wish for authorities to know what I am watching, we accept here for the sake of showcase that google won't sell my watch history if asked (LMAO what am I even saying?).
So if I'm not mistaken since youtube has https implemented, our communication is encrypted, the keys are shared only between me and youtube. But when Youtube shares the key with me/my client the first time, is that also encrypted? Wouldn't the same question keep getting answered until there is something unencrypted? I know this is a bit too much unlikely, but if ISP automated the process of gathering keys and decrypting web traffic for a certain site with them for all users, would that work for them?
I'm taking https here as an example, while I have the same question for like VPN.

EDIT: Thank you everybody. I am not a member of this community, but every comment was a golden experience to read!

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[–] 7heo@lemmy.ml 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Seeing as other answers are either links, or wall of texts, I'll try to keep it short and approachable:

Encryption, asymmetrical or symmetrical, relies on private keys being private. Once those keys are compromised, the encryption also is (read on).
By default, in the most simplistic form, it doesn't matter when the content was encrypted, the private key can decrypt it. There are solutions to this problem, making encryption time (or iteration) sensitive.
For an attacker with enough means, the private keys can always be exfiltrated, and content can be intercepted, but usually there are much simpler solutions for snooping on encrypted content: the devil is in the (implementation) details (this link is an illustration, and by no means an exhaustive list).
Cryptography is always simpler to go around than to break. So never be satisfied with a cryptography only (or protocol only) audit. There are near infinite of ways to neutralize encryption with a single line of code in a client.
The architecture is also essential. Client-Server encryption has entirely different use cases than Client-Client encryption (EE2E).
And finally, Schneier's law:

Any person can invent a security system so clever that she or he can't think of how to break it.