California Assembly considers bill to mandate encryption backdoors
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.
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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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!
AND NO LAW SHOULD BE ABOVE BASIC UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS !
>:x
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.
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.
That said, they fully deserve her and her cr4p.
“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.