Ron Wyden Introduces Bill To Ban FBI 'Backdoors' In Tech Products

Posted by Soulskill on Friday December 5, 2014 @02:34AM from the stop-doing-the-thing-you-might-want-to-start-doing dept.

An anonymous reader sends this report from The Verge: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is trying to proactively block FBI head James Comey's request for new rules that make tapping into devices easier. The Secure Data Act would ban agencies from making manufacturers alter their products to allow easier surveillance or search, something Comey has said is necessary as encryption becomes more common and more sophisticated. "Strong encryption and sound computer security is the best way to keep Americans' data safe from hackers and foreign threats," said Wyden in a statement. "It is the best way to protect our constitutional rights at a time when a person's whole life can often be found on his or her smartphone."

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Re:Why only FBI? by Meneth · 2014-12-05 03:13 · Score: 5, Informative

Actually, the bill text says "no agency may mandate...", so it ought to cover the DHS and NSA as well.
However, since most (all?) government-induced vulnerabilities so far have been "suggested", rather than "mandated", I'm unsure how effective this bill would be.