Burr & Feinstein Officially Release Anti-Encryption Bill, As Wyden Promises To Filibuster It

Last week, we wrote about a "discussion draft" of Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein's new anti-encryption bill that would effectively require any company doing anything with encryption to make sure that encryption was flat out broken, putting everyone at risk. Feinstein and Burr's offices refused to comment on the criticism of the draft, insisting that they were still working on the bill. Well, late Wednesday Burr officially released a copy of the bill and it's basically the same insane bill we saw last week. As far as I can tell, the only real change is further defining what is meant by a "court order." It used to just say any court order, but now says only court orders for specific issues, but it's a pretty broad list: crimes involving serious bodily harm, foreign intelligence, espionage, terrorism, sexual exploitation of a minor, a "serious violent felony," or a serious drug crime. So, I guess we should feel relieved that it won't be used for cases where someone's caught trespassing or something? It's still a ridiculous bill (and it still doesn't explain what the penalties are).

Meanwhile, Senator Ron Wyden has renewed his opposition to the bill by going a step further and promising to filibuster if the bill is brought to the floor:

"The encryption debate is about having more security or having less security. This legislation would effectively outlaw Americans from protecting themselves. It would ban the strongest types of encryption and undermine the foundation of cybersecurity for millions of Americans. This flawed bill would leave Americans more vulnerable to stalkers, identity thieves, foreign hackers and criminals. And yet it will not make us safer from terrorists or other threats. Bad actors will continue to have access to encryption, from hundreds of sources overseas. Furthermore, this bill will empower repressive regimes to enact similar laws and crack down on persecuted minorities around the world," Wyden said.

"Americans who value their security and liberty must join together to oppose this dangerous proposal. I intend to oppose this bill in committee and if it reaches the Senate floor, I will filibuster it."

Stay tuned, because this fight is just beginning...

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story