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Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

act.eff.org

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Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#3
I strongly believe we have lost the war for privacy and security (against state level actors) already. Once the net adopted the platform model, we were screwed. Platforms are as easy to regulate, as for example the telephone companies were back in the days.

They were easily forced to comply with wiretapping demands of the government.

The moment a central platform controlled (most of) our communication and was able to provide security to the users by using encryption, legislators realized the danger and also the solution. They would just need to force these central hubs with laws as they did back in the day. Legislation was/is needed to break users' encryption and give government the access to all communication that was lost with modern forms of communication and encryption.

So on one hand, it is "just" a return to a previous state of affairs. On the other hand, given for example today's methods of automatically listening in and transcribing voice to text, this would be a way more massive intrusion and control mechanism.

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#4
Would this have any affect on software developed outside of the USA? The USA is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. Couldn’t a company in some other country create a browser with encryption that any of us could use? Could Apple move iOS development offshore and continue creating a mobile OS with encryption?

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#5
I think that the key point that should be addressed by those against this bill and these laws in general is: How to conduct legitimate law enforcement business and police investigations at a time when most communications have moved online?

The reason the Attorney General and the DOJ want some sort of access to communications is not to undermine free speech and to take over the world, it is because they know that without legal provisions technology can make it impossible to access communication during legitimate police investigations.

How do we solve this problem?

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#6

Would this have any affect on software developed outside of the USA? The USA is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. Couldn’t a company in some other country create a browser with encryption that any of us could use? Could Apple move iOS development offshore and continue creating a mobile OS with encryption?

The world is welcome to compete with American tech, and has been trying very hard at it for quite a long time.

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#7

I think that the key point that should be addressed by those against this bill and these laws in general is: How to conduct legitimate law enforcement business and police investigations at a time when most communications have moved online? The reason the Attorney General and the DOJ want some sort of access to communications is not to undermine free speech and to take over the world, it is because they know that with…

> they know that without legal provisions technology can make it impossible to access communication during legitimate police investigations

> How do we solve this problem?

It's called a search warrant.

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#8

Would this have any affect on software developed outside of the USA? The USA is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. Couldn’t a company in some other country create a browser with encryption that any of us could use? Could Apple move iOS development offshore and continue creating a mobile OS with encryption?

Most countries capable of doing that already have similar or even stricter laws. In a few decades there will be no country in the world that doesn't do something like this. It's over, the privacy war is already lost

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#9

Would this have any affect on software developed outside of the USA? The USA is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. Couldn’t a company in some other country create a browser with encryption that any of us could use? Could Apple move iOS development offshore and continue creating a mobile OS with encryption?

Not necessarily affecting software developed outside the US, but most likely if your non-US company has communications in your app and US customers, you'll be screwed. For consumers, vice versa with using apps from FAANG since your communications will now be affected by nonsense US laws. This is of course unless the big companies want to split their apps into US & Worldwide versions, which is probably not happening and would cause other forms of feature drift if they did so.

Re: Stop the Earn IT Bill Before It Breaks Encryption

#10

Would this have any affect on software developed outside of the USA? The USA is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. Couldn’t a company in some other country create a browser with encryption that any of us could use? Could Apple move iOS development offshore and continue creating a mobile OS with encryption?

Apple has already stated (with regards to China) that they will respect the laws of the nation they are offering service in. So while they put up a constant assault against privacy invading moves in the US, they handed chicom the keys to iCloud with zero pushback.

If this passes you can be sure anything digital is no longer safe from alphabet agencies. Sadly the younger generation has no concern for privacy and the older generation likely has no clue their data is being siphoned. Advocates are too much of a minority to make a difference.

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