An ongoing court case centering on encryption has thrown light upon the total incompetence
of those in power. And this is not just about the USA and its legal system, it calls into
question the fitness for purpose of every government currently in place. 

First, understand that without privacy, there can be no private property.

We presently rely on a dual system of ink on paper, and on electronic records for securing
ownership of property. Written records run the risk of fire and flood, and electronic records,
at some point, rely on encryption for their continued existence. That ability to keep proof of
ownership secure is most commonly described as privacy. Without privacy, only the use of
force secures private property. 

Indulge me as I go through a thought exercise. The interconnectedness of our computer systems
increases every year, as does the computer power at each node. There are already concerns
about the vulnerability of these systems to anyone more sophisticated than a script-kiddie.
If that continues indefinitely, or of a bad actor preempts natural emergence, this interconnected
system will eventually become self-aware. That's usually referred to as Skynet in discussions.

The only defence against such intelligence is an ability to partition the system to limit the
reach of any individual section. A sort of privacy. And for that you need secure encryption.

The very last thing that governments should be pushing for today, are weakened encryption
standards and backdoors and trapdoors that "only" government can use, built into every
internet capable device by law.

Why blame conspiracy when incompetence explains so much, and insanity completes the picture?