Senator Planning Legislation to Punish Companies That Don't Unlock Encrypted Devices

[Scarpad]

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is working on legislation that would penalize companies that don't comply with court orders to unlock encrypted devices, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move comes a day after Apple announced that it would oppose an order to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5c.

The bill could reportedly be written in way that modifies the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which compelled communications companies to build their systems in a way that would allow them to comply with court orders.
For the past several months, Burr has been pressuring technology companies to work closely with law enforcement to prevent encrypted devices and services from being used to plan and execute crimes, going as far as telling some that they needed to consider changing their business model. He's also claimed that district attorneys have complained to him about encryption as they are "beginning to get to a situation where they can't prosecute cases."

Apple CEO Tim Cook has continually maintained that unlocking any device, or creating any type of backdoor, would weaken encryption across the board and allow both bad guys and good guys to access users' personal data.

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Article Link: Senator Planning Legislation to Punish Companies That Don't Unlock Encrypted Devices

Fine, we just dump the contents of all the senate and congress phones first

 

[derek4484]

Unfortunately it's both sides-Rubio loves the NSA just as much as Obama, and a lot happened with Bill and Bush too...
[doublepost=1455853797][/doublepost]
Well if we're going that far, add the first to the list.

Unfortunately, you are absolutely right. Both parties want big government surveillance...but for different reasons. IMO the Dems want it to further their Orwellian buildout of the US Federal government. Typical Big Brother scenario, it sees all, it knows all, especially quashing any and all political enemies. The Repubs want it all in the name of "national security". If the Repubs had their way, they'd shred the constitution in 1.5 seconds flat and do it with a smile on their face and call it "national security".

It sucks that neither party really represents the normal, average American person any longer. I kind of long for the days of the 1960's liberals, the hippies, they would be staunchly opposed to this surveillance state we live it, yet today, those same hippies of the 60's are the biggest supporters of today's system.
[doublepost=1456167662][/doublepost]Apple could quite easily get around this. The Judge's order even gave them a way out. They are to come up with a cost estimate for them to re-write an entire custom OS....Price tag $100 million. I dont think the FBI could justify ponying up $100million to get one iphone cracked by Apple, especially for a crime/terrorist attack that is over and done with and there will not be any prosecution of anybody on. also, this special OS version installation, according to the Judicial order, could take place at Apple, where Apple engineers would have control of the process. It seems very likely that this could be custom tailored for this one phone and this process will only work for phones that the FBI has in its possession. I do agree that if Apple caves, it can expect an avalanche of future AWA orders trying to force it to do it for any iphone the government wants opened up. but this will not weaken encryption or make it easier for hackers to hack your phone remotely or help the government spy on anyone. You'd have to be in custody for a serious offense before the FBI/DOJ would try and use this nuclear option. I am still supporting Apple here. The govt should have NO ability to force companies to hack electronics (thus violating existing federal laws).

 

[jblagden]

Unfortunately, you are absolutely right. Both parties want big government surveillance...but for different reasons. IMO the Dems want it to further their Orwellian buildout of the US Federal government. Typical Big Brother scenario, it sees all, it knows all, especially quashing any and all political enemies. The Repubs want it all in the name of "national security". If the Repubs had their way, they'd shred the constitution in 1.5 seconds flat and do it with a smile on their face and call it "national security".

It sucks that neither party really represents the normal, average American person any longer. I kind of long for the days of the 1960's liberals, the hippies, they would be staunchly opposed to this surveillance state we live it, yet today, those same hippies of the 60's are the biggest supporters of today's system.

Sounds like what Casey said in Chuck: "the only thing I hate more than hippie neo-liberal fascists and anarchists, are the hypocrite fat cat suits they eventually become!"
[doublepost=1456167662][/doublepost]Apple could quite easily get around this. The Judge's order even gave them a way out. They are to come up with a cost estimate for them to re-write an entire custom OS....Price tag $100 million. I dont think the FBI could justify ponying up $100million to get one iphone cracked by Apple, especially for a crime/terrorist attack that is over and done with and there will not be any prosecution of anybody on. also, this special OS version installation, according to the Judicial order, could take place at Apple, where Apple engineers would have control of the process. It seems very likely that this could be custom tailored for this one phone and this process will only work for phones that the FBI has in its possession. I do agree that if Apple caves, it can expect an avalanche of future AWA orders trying to force it to do it for any iphone the government wants opened up. but this will not weaken encryption or make it easier for hackers to hack your phone remotely or help the government spy on anyone. You'd have to be in custody for a serious offense before the FBI/DOJ would try and use this nuclear option. I am still supporting Apple here. The govt should have NO ability to force companies to hack electronics (thus violating existing federal laws).

Yeah, once they open those floodgates, there’s no going back.

 

[Breaking Good]

So? It's Obama--a D--who is attacking Apple with the FBI and the Department of Justice. He's just managed to find some redneck hayseed traitor from the other side of the aisle.

As I said in another thread, the only bi-partisan issue in Washington these days is the Federal Government's attempt to strip Americans of their right to privacy.

It is truly sad that the only thing standing up for Americans' right to privacy is a single, multi-national corporation.
[doublepost=1456178534][/doublepost]

Beat Hillary. She will only perpetuate Obama's assault on the 4th Amendment.

Did you miss the article about Donald Trump calling for a boycott of Apple products?
[doublepost=1456179545][/doublepost]

If the San Bernadino police had known these two terrorists were amassing a cache of weapons, an investigation and visit might have prevented this tragedy.

Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik used two .223-caliber semi-automatic rifles and two 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistols. Do you define four firearms as a "cache"?

And California already has a firearms registry. So the police should have know that these two terrorists were amassing a so called "cache" of weapons.

 

[glutenenvy]

Why does it seem like 1984 is the new playbook?

 

[SHNXX]

How do we get these as swipes out of the senate?

 

[Tech198]

"build systems in a way which comply with court orders" does not compute. I tend not to agree with that at all, or it sounds scary...

Governments could run-a-muck.... much more so than today.. Alas, they wanna be "big brother".. Somehow, i always thought that was just the NSA's job...

1984 prediction..... its a bit late though. (edit: Wall Street Journal, u used to be cool), but glad we have MR.

 

[Mac2me]

Going along with punishing companies, found this Gizmodo article of "An Incomplete List of Things The Federal Government Should stop using Thanks to Apple". Thought it went nicely with this thread except this time Congressman Jolly from Florida. Guess the list should be sent to Arizona Sheriff Arpaio too.

http://gizmodo.com/an-incomplete-list-of-things-the-federal-government-sho-1762790813