Senate backdoor bill threatens internet economy

The Burr-Feinstein proposed encryption legislation would require tech companies to create a government backdoor to any secure application or connected device. It would also force private companies to provide “technical assistance” at the behest of the government.

The proposed legislation is dangerous. The extent to which Burr-Feinstein would threaten the security of the entire internet is simply breathtaking. The bill would force hundreds of thousands of companies to choose between breaking the law and protecting customer data. It would require everyone who writes software to provide the government with a backdoor. And in a devastating blow to civil liberties, the government wouldn’t even need a warrant to make this happen.

The $8 trillion digital economy depends on secure encryption to function. Backdoors create a fatal vulnerability that compromises this protection. The senators might as well take a hatchet to the entire internet economy.

Any vulnerability built into encryption algorithms for law enforcement purposes can be exploited by unauthorized parties, including criminals and nation state-backed hackers. If enacted, this legislation would create major security issues for all consumers and enterprise users of technology.

ACT| The App Association appreciates the need for law enforcement to appropriately access data to address criminal and national security threats. But the heavy-handed approach in the proposed legislation would weaken, not strengthen, America’s economy and security.

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