App industry applauds ENCRYPT Act

Today, Representatives Lieu, Farenthold, Bishop, and DelBene introduced the ENCRYPT Act. In response, ACT | The App Association Executive Director Morgan Reed released the following statement:

ACT | The App Association is proud to support the ENCRYPT Act, and applauds Representatives Lieu, Farenthold, Bishop, and DelBene for providing valuable leadership on data security.

Encryption is an integral part of the U.S. economy. It provides security for much of the nation’s commerce, both online and at physical locations. It ensures that our most sensitive data stays private. Encryption protects patient health information, financial data, and every American who shops online.

In the $120 billion app economy, encryption provides the transaction security that allows companies to sell globally. App companies flourish in every state of the country because they can market their software to a global audience wherever there is an internet connection.

It is clear to see that encryption plays a critical role in interstate commerce. Regulation addressing this technology must come from the federal government. Any attempts by states to regulate independently in this space would create a patchwork of conflicting laws. This would be unmanageable and interfere with interstate commerce.