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Lawmakers Move To Block Government From Ordering Digital 'Back Doors' (thehill.com)
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have introduced legislation that would block the federal government from requiring technology companies to design devices with so-called "back doors" to allow law enforcement to access them. From a report: The bill represents the latest effort by lawmakers in Congress to wade into the battle between federal law enforcement officials and tech companies over encryption, which reached a boiling point in 2015 as the FBI tussled with Apple over a locked iPhone linked to the San Bernardino terror attack case.
Top FBI and Justice Department officials have repeatedly complained that they have been unable to access devices for ongoing criminal investigations because of encryption. FBI Director Christopher Wray has suggested that devices could be designed to allow investigators to access them, though he insists the bureau is not looking for a "back door." The bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would prohibit federal agencies from requiring or requesting that firms "design or alter the security functions in its product or service to allow the surveillance of any user of such product or service, or to allow the physical search of such product" by the government.
Top FBI and Justice Department officials have repeatedly complained that they have been unable to access devices for ongoing criminal investigations because of encryption. FBI Director Christopher Wray has suggested that devices could be designed to allow investigators to access them, though he insists the bureau is not looking for a "back door." The bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would prohibit federal agencies from requiring or requesting that firms "design or alter the security functions in its product or service to allow the surveillance of any user of such product or service, or to allow the physical search of such product" by the government.
I'm a conservative. #NeverTrump
Virtually all congresscritters vote on all the bills without ever reading most of them, especially budgets. I only know of one representative in Congress who has ever read a federal budget. Paul Ryan WROTE, not just read, multiple federal budgets. For any and every congresscritter, I can find areas where we disagree as to the best policy. Ryan is no exception, I don't fully agree with anyone, on everything. He is also by far the best informed, smartest person we've had in Congress in many years. And squeaky clean on ethics. Whikle he doesn't always come to the same conclusions I do, his conclusions are based on *really* knowing his stuff, knowing wtf he's talking about. Frankly, me disagreeing with Paul Ryan about federal policy is like me disagreeing with Stephen Hawking about physics theories - we both have our own opinions; one of us knows wtf they are talking about it, and it isn't me.
Paul Ryan's departure will hurt the country when he's replaced with another "we have to pass the bill to find out what's in it" person.
Yes, this is a continuation of an effort that began when some in Congress thought that the FBI was lying to them about their efforts to force Apple to crack a phone.
The reps who introduced this bill are:
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced the legislation along with Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas).
Reps involved starting in April were:
Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Ted Poe (R-Texas), Jared Polis (D-Col.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Oh. but you are forgetting that the NSA, CIA and FBI all have their own definitions for words.
The only words that matter in court are the words in the law. This bill is written clearly, by lawyers. The head of the FBI, Christopher Wray, is a lawyer. He is not going to throw away his career and pension, and risk jail, by violating this law. If he verbally tells an agent to break the law, with a wink-wink, that agent will know full well than he will be thrown under the bus when it goes public. If any government official tries to do a "wink-wink" to a tech company, then that tech company can record any interaction with a government official performing official duties.
Also, the CIA and NSA have no law enforcement powers. Any request they issue would have to be enforced by some other agency.
It's worth mentioning that Senator Obama went out of his way, took a break from campaigning, to vote "yes" on that bill.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."