--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I talk to cryptographers, some of the…" description: "\"I talk to cryptographers, some of the leading technologists in the world, all the time about how we can deal with these issues. It is not possible to c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/edward-snowden-555_back-doors_i-talk-to-cryptographers-some-of-the-lea_2739581.jpg" --- # I talk to cryptographers, some of the leading… ![“I talk to cryptographers, some of the leading technologists in the world, all the time about how we can deal with these issues. It is not possible to create a back door that is only accessible, for example, to the FBI.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/edward-snowden-555_back-doors_i-talk-to-cryptographers-some-of-the-lea_2739581.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/edward-snowden-555_back-doors_i-talk-to-cryptographers-some-of-the-lea_2739581.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/edward-snowden-555_back-doors_i-talk-to-cryptographers-some-of-the-lea_2739581.jpg) > “I talk to cryptographers, some of the leading technologists in the world, all the time about how we can deal with these issues. It is not possible to create a back door that is only accessible, for example, to the FBI.” [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Security systems cannot be designed with secret access for a single agency without risking broader vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Backdoors make all users unsafe. Key Takeaway Avoid hidden access points. Themes security privacy trust Mood cautious serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - government data requests - software development - policy drafting - public debate Key Concepts cryptography surveillance risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can we enforce transparent security standards? - What incentives deter agencies from demanding backdoors? A Different Perspective Backdoors may be technically impossible but political pressure can still force compromises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-doors/) [Cryptographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cryptographers-3017810/) [Cryptographers Leading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cryptographers-leading-3017809/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Example Fbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-fbi-3017811/) [Fbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi/) [Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hacker/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Issues Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues-possible-3017812/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Talk Cryptographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-cryptographers-3017808/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [In the case of someone sharing classified information with foreign intelligence, for example, the FBI could surreptitiously ensure that they are no longer able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/in-the-case-of-someone-sharing-classified-information-with-foreign/) [Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/) > [I think... all of the best public cryptographers in the world would agree that you can't really build back doors in crypto. That it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-stamos/i-think-all-of-the-best-public-cryptographers-in-the-world-would/) [Alex Stamos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-stamos/) > [“Cryptographers are professional paranoids”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fagone/cryptographers-are-professional-paranoids/) [Jason Fagone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fagone/) > [Even if it were, you run into the same problem with international commerce: if you create a device that is famous for compromised security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/even-if-it-were-you-run-into-the-same-problem-with-international/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Anyway, it's not true that the authorities cannot access the content of the phone even if there is no back door. When I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/anyway-it-s-not-true-that-the-authorities-cannot-access-the-content/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Comedy's been really liberating for me because I've been able to sneak the singing part in through the back door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-gasteyer/comedy-s-been-really-liberating-for-me-because-i-ve-been-able-to/) [Ana Gasteyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-gasteyer/) > [Fiction allows for moral questioning, but through the back door. Personally, I like books that make you think - books you're still wondering about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/fiction-allows-for-moral-questioning-but-through-the-back-door/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I don't know if I call myself a poet or not. I would like to, but I'm not really qualified to make that decision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-don-t-know-if-i-call-myself-a-poet-or-not-i-would-like-to-but-i-m/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [To fight oppression, and to work as best we can for a sane organization of society, we do not have to abandon the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/to-fight-oppression-and-to-work-as-best-we-can-for-a-sane/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [The Government have consistently made it clear that the mechanism in the United Kingdom whereby the European draft constitutional treaty could be implemented is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-alexander/the-government-have-consistently-made-it-clear-that-the-mechanism-in/) [Douglas Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-alexander/) > [If the wolf had ever come to our back door, he'd have had to bring a picnic lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-anderson/if-the-wolf-had-ever-come-to-our-back-door-he-d-have-had-to-bring-a/) [Bill Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-anderson/) > ["Compromise" means giving up more than the other side is big enough to take; if and when they have the muscle, they'll be back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-knox/compromise-means-giving-up-more-than-the-other-side-is-big-enough-to/) [Neal Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-knox/) > [Last night we had three small zucchini for dinner that were grown within fifty feet of our back door. I estimate they cost somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/last-night-we-had-three-small-zucchini-for-dinner-that-were-grown/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I don't think it's a very Christian thing to come in by the back door rather than the front door,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-it-s-a-very-christian-thing-to-come-in-by-the-back-door/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Being a Catholic, I was drawn to the mystery of the Latin and the smoke and the mirrors and all of that. That part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/being-a-catholic-i-was-drawn-to-the-mystery-of-the-latin-and-the/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) ## More by Edward Snowden > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obama-became-president-it-was-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We've learned that we've allowed technological capabilities to dictate policies and practices, rather than ensuring that our laws and values guide our technological capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-ve-learned-that-we-ve-allowed-technological-capabilities-to/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [It's much easier, I think, to protect communications while they're in transit at least, than it is to enforce legislation in every country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-easier-i-think-to-protect-communications-while-they-re-in/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-care-more-about-the-country-than-what-happens-to-me-but-we-can-t/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) [Explore all 478 Edward Snowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More Back doors quotes > [Being a Catholic, I was drawn to the mystery of the Latin and the smoke and the mirrors and all of that. That part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/being-a-catholic-i-was-drawn-to-the-mystery-of-the-latin-and-the/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [I don't think it's a very Christian thing to come in by the back door rather than the front door,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-it-s-a-very-christian-thing-to-come-in-by-the-back-door/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Last night we had three small zucchini for dinner that were grown within fifty feet of our back door. I estimate they cost somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/last-night-we-had-three-small-zucchini-for-dinner-that-were-grown/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > ["Compromise" means giving up more than the other side is big enough to take; if and when they have the muscle, they'll be back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-knox/compromise-means-giving-up-more-than-the-other-side-is-big-enough-to/) [Neal Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-knox/) > [If the wolf had ever come to our back door, he'd have had to bring a picnic lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-anderson/if-the-wolf-had-ever-come-to-our-back-door-he-d-have-had-to-bring-a/) [Bill Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-anderson/) > [The Government have consistently made it clear that the mechanism in the United Kingdom whereby the European draft constitutional treaty could be implemented is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-alexander/the-government-have-consistently-made-it-clear-that-the-mechanism-in/) [Douglas Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-alexander/) > [To fight oppression, and to work as best we can for a sane organization of society, we do not have to abandon the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/to-fight-oppression-and-to-work-as-best-we-can-for-a-sane/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [I don't know if I call myself a poet or not. I would like to, but I'm not really qualified to make that decision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-don-t-know-if-i-call-myself-a-poet-or-not-i-would-like-to-but-i-m/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Fiction allows for moral questioning, but through the back door. Personally, I like books that make you think - books you're still wondering about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/fiction-allows-for-moral-questioning-but-through-the-back-door/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Comedy's been really liberating for me because I've been able to sneak the singing part in through the back door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-gasteyer/comedy-s-been-really-liberating-for-me-because-i-ve-been-able-to/) [Ana Gasteyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-gasteyer/) > [Sneaking out the back door to hand out with those hoodlum friends of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/sneaking-out-the-back-door-to-hand-out-with-those-hoodlum-friends-of/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [marrows - alas! - are arriving in a steady stream at the back door. ... Oddly enough, the majority of people who grow them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miss-read/marrows-alas-are-arriving-in-a-steady-stream-at-the-back-door-oddly/) [Miss Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miss-read/) > [In regard to tenacity of life, no old yellow cat has anything on a prejudice. You may kill it with your own hands, bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/in-regard-to-tenacity-of-life-no-old-yellow-cat-has-anything-on-a/) [Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/) > [I'm also conscious of what this confidence that has been placed in me means. I'm going to the Games through the back door but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-boukpeti/i-m-also-conscious-of-what-this-confidence-that-has-been-placed-in-me/) [Benjamin Boukpeti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-boukpeti/) > [ We both \[with Alixandra Kolesky MacKenzie\] got into ceramics, you might say, by the back door. Looking back on it, I think this was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-both-with-alixandra-kolesky-mackenzie-got-into-ceramics-you-might/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) [Browse all 58 Back doors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-doors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I talk to cryptographers, some of the leading technologists in the world, all the time about how we can deal with these issues. 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