A bill that would force companies to help law enforcers decrypt private communication is one step closer to becoming a reality, after a draft was published this week.
Called the Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016, the bill would stop companies including Apple refusing to help organizations like the FBI, provided that proper court orders are given.
And — no surprises here! — it’s already proving controversial.
Tech and privacy groups have already responded negative. The American Civil Liberties Union called an earlier draft of the bill, “a clear threat to everyone’s privacy and security,” while the Electronic Frontier Foundation has said it would do its utmost to keep such a law “tied up in the courts for years.”
Perhaps the most significant opposition, however, has come from Oregon senator Ron Wyden, who called it a “flawed bill” and said that it would “leave Americans more vulnerable to stalkers, identity thieves, foreign hackers and criminals,” while not making people any safer.
Previously the White House refused to publicly support a draft of the bill, although it reportedly viewed the text and offered a small amount of feedback.
The Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016 bill is being put forward by senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, respectively the Republican chair and top Democrat of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Both Burr and Feinstein have been reportedly been contacted by the FBI to discuss the work that went into cracking the San Bernardino iPhone 5c.
You can read the draft bill here.
Via: The Verge
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
One response to “Legislators closer to forcing Apple to help unlock iPhones”
“Legislators closer to forcing Apple to help unlock iPhones”
They may be closer, but they won’t make it. The so-called “Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016” is specious. It might as well be called, “The Do Whatever A Court Says Without Asking” bill.
For the little-regarded, do-nothing, obstructionist U.S. Congress to try to assert itself on the issue of encryption—solely to garner votes to keep getting reelected to their cushy jobs—is both transparent to informed citizens, but also embarrassing, considering the many more important issues on Congress’ table. “Keep ’em scared and they’ll keep voting” should be the motto of most members of Congress.