NSA director calls encryption debate a ‘waste of time’

By Rudy Takala

Published January 21, 2016 8:13pm ET

NSA director calls encryption debate a ‘waste of time’ — "Spending time arguing ... [saying] encryption is bad and we ought to do away with it, that's a waste of time to me," Adm. Mike Rogers said. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) | Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The debate over whether to regulate encryption is a “waste of time,” the director of the National Security Agency said on Thursday.

“Encryption is foundational to the future. Spending time arguing … [saying] encryption is bad and we ought to do away with it, that’s a waste of time to me,” Adm. Mike Rogers said during a discussion on cybersecurity held at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.