California Assembly considers bill to mandate encryption backdoors

Posted:
in iPhone edited March 2016
A bill introduced in the California State Assembly earlier this year would require companies that build smartphones and mobile operating systems to build backdoors in their products and fine any company that does not comply.




Assembly Bill 1681 "would require a smartphone that is manufactured on or after January 1, 2017, and sold in California, to be capable of being decrypted and unlocked by its manufacturer or its operating system provider." Companies which "knowingly failed to comply" would be subjected to a $2,500 fine for each device sold in the state.

The bill was introduced in January by Assembly Member Jim Cooper and coauthored by Assembly Member James Gallagher and State Senators Patricia Bates and Isadore Hall.

As noted by the EFF, such a bill is problematic for a number of reasons. It would not prevent sales of encrypted phones in neighboring states, for instance, and would do nothing to stop the proliferation of encrypted communications tools.

Similar legislation has been proposed in New York by Assembly Members Matthew Titone and Walter T. Mosley, while U.S. Senators Diane Feinstein and Richard Burr are expected to introduce a comparable measure at the federal level soon.

"It's just that I have a basic fundamental belief this is very important and that no American company should be above the law," Feinstein said regarding her proposal.

The level of support for these measures in their various chambers remains unclear, and neither the California nor New York bill has yet made it out of committee. Meanwhile, Apple and the FBI continue to spar through the media and the bureau has appealed to New York courts for the reversal of a decision that went in Apple's favor.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 72
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    Hello, Mrs. Feinstein. I am sure, you are tech-savvy, and fully aware of all the consequences of your proposal.

    Yes?

    Are you?


    Please say that you are!


    ....

    GTRownsUbaconstangnouser
  • Reply 2 of 72
    lmagoolmagoo Posts: 49member
    This easily proves that our politicians...ESPECIALLY in California....are dumber than a pile of bricks!! And good o'l Feinstein is at the head of the class !!!!!
    GTRownsUmwhiteewtheckmanMacsAlwaysjdgazredgeminipastevenozSpamSandwichnouserrazorpit
  • Reply 3 of 72
    razormaidrazormaid Posts: 299member
    There's a quick way to stop this bill... Apple should announce the iPhone will not be sold in California Apple stores and available ONLY by the Internet. The phones will be sold from Arizona only!  That should piss off enough people to start protests from the public. Have giant banners made and slap them on those pretty glass doors at each store nice and big:

    STARTTING JAN 2017 IPHONES WILL NOT BE SOLD IN CALIFORNIA - CONTACT YOUR ASSEMBY PERSON NOW!

    Common sense is loosing to stupid in this case. So hit California where they can truly appreciate it ... In their wallet!
    edited March 2016 GTRownsUjkichlineMacsAlwaysstevenozSpamSandwichbaconstangJanNLnouserrazorpiturahara
  • Reply 4 of 72
    peteopeteo Posts: 402member
    So they wont outlaw the sale, they will just fine companies to death. Really, lets take a run around the current laws and make its so we don't have to listen to them. Were not saying you can not build a phone that has no back doors, were just going to extort you to do this. Ridiculous. Its pretty obvious that the government will stop at nothing to get access to every thing about you to "protect" you from harm. Of course by doing this they harm our freedom but who really gives sh*t about that.
    ewtheckmanpmzMacsAlwaysredgeminipanouserrazorpituraharajbdragon
  • Reply 5 of 72
    mr omr o Posts: 1,046member
    "It's just that I have a basic fundamental belief this is very important and that no American company should be above the law," Feinstein said regarding her proposal.

    AND NO LAW SHOULD BE ABOVE BASIC UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS !

    >:x
    ewtheckmanMacsAlwaysredgeminipadasanman69baconstangnouserstevehjony0jbdragon
  • Reply 6 of 72
    ceek74ceek74 Posts: 324member
    aka the "Apple Killer" bill.  Sad that things have to get worse before they get better.  You'd think by now someone would have learned.
    nouserjbdragon
  • Reply 7 of 72
    rbonnerrbonner Posts: 635member
    "It's just that I have a basic fundamental belief this is very important and that no American company should be above the law," Feinstein said regarding her proposal.
    This seems like a circular argument. If this is worrisome, then create a law that insists that there are no backdoors. I do like the wording, that the company has to be the one that keeps the backdoor, at least that means it can be only used when directed by the courts.
  • Reply 8 of 72
    All you have to do is show how easy it would be to spy on the Senators themselves using smartphones.

    Reminds me when a bipartisan group made sure the Airlines were still running during a government shutdown.



    If it's in their personal interest, they sure get their act together.
    stskredgeminipanouserjbdragon
  • Reply 9 of 72
    Dear Mrs. Feinstein, please post the contents of your smartphone on a website so every US citizen can view what you have. You're basically asking us all to do the same thing, so fair is fair. I wouldn't be surprised if part of your legislation includes a requirement that each manufacturer also create a second encrypted iOS for government officials because you guys in Washington don't have to play by the same rules as your subjects? Every US citizen should write Mrs. Feinstein requesting the same thing.
    ewtheckmanlightknightstskMacsAlwaysredgeminipastevenozbaconstangJanNLnouserurahara
  • Reply 10 of 72
    Feinstein loves to take away our rights, first guns and now privacy. This country is falling apart, we absolutely lost all privacy and when we were regaining part of it in our digital life, here comes the gov to take it away.
    ewtheckmanicoco3nouserrazorpitjony0jbdragonbadmonk
  • Reply 11 of 72
    civaciva Posts: 78member
    I say Apple should do what Intel did, move to China, make all that revenue Chinese revenue, and see how fast they reverse their decision. 
    nouser
  • Reply 12 of 72
    JamesBBJamesBB Posts: 50member
    This one would work for them... you just need to ask the operator what they said...
  • Reply 13 of 72
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Man I hope CA passes this law, I will begin buying up old Iphone with pre-2017 software on them and make millions on them. You know people will want to buy up the old devices so they can protect themselves from the Californian Nanny State Liberal. This will be a gold mine business.
  • Reply 14 of 72
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Hahaha. I'm sure China approves this law. Of course, someone is bound to look into Feinstein's involvement with foreign spy agencies and their evil plans to weaken America's cybersecurity. Right? Note: I'm not American. Please, go ahead and create backdoors for others to use, 'murica. Though, as a concerned user, I'll probably have to stop buying American...
  • Reply 15 of 72
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    ceek74 said:
    aka the "Apple Killer" bill.  Sad that things have to get worse before they get better.  You'd think by now someone would have learned.

    Correct, and how quickly you think Apple will move it head quarter somewhere off US shores to get access to their money without US tax hit and second they do not have to deal with Calf Laws anymore. These idiot are going after their tax base. Keep in mind she one foot in the grave anyway so she does not care what happens after she messes up for the people who are still left behind.
    nouser
  • Reply 16 of 72
    Feinstein is an embarrassment to California.

    That said, they fully deserve her and her cr4p.
    MacsAlwaysnouserrazorpit
  • Reply 17 of 72
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    What's so misleading is this bill is being introduced as human trafficking legislation. This is what Assembly Member Jim Cooper said of this bill:

     “Full-disk encrypted operating systems provide criminals an invaluable tool to prey on women, children, and threaten our freedoms while making the legal process of judicial court orders, useless.” 

    http://asmdc.org/members/a09/news-room/press-releases/cooper-introduces-human-trafficking-evidentiary-access-legislation

    Apple really needs to start doing more to increase public awareness about encryption because the public is easily manipulated. The government campaign against Apple is making people believe they support terrorists. This new bill introduced in California will start pushing the idea that Apple supports human trafficking too. 
    SpamSandwichbaconstangnouserurahara
  • Reply 18 of 72
    razormaid said:
    There's a quick way to stop this bill... Apple should announce the iPhone will not be sold in California Apple stores and available ONLY by the Internet. The phones will be sold from Arizona only!  That should piss off enough people to start protests from the public. Have giant banners made and slap them on those pretty glass doors at each store nice and big:

    STARTTING JAN 2017 IPHONES WILL NOT BE SOLD IN CALIFORNIA - CONTACT YOUR ASSEMBY PERSON NOW!

    Common sense is loosing to stupid in this case. So hit California where they can truly appreciate it ... In their wallet!
    No, they should just mark up the price on iPhones sold in California by $2500.
    icoco3nousersmalmrazorpiturahara
  • Reply 19 of 72
    creek0512creek0512 Posts: 111member
    Despite the fact that there are outspoken supporters of encryption backdoors in both parties (all of the Republican Presidential candidates supported it at a recent debate), some people cannot stop themselves from demonizing the other party they don't vote for, even on this issue where neither party has a clear position.
    edited March 2016 bobschlobfocherbaconstangentropyssmalmstevehmuppetry
  • Reply 20 of 72
    hydrogenhydrogen Posts: 314member
    California Uber Alles !
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