EPIC - Congress to Hold Hearing on Encryption and Privacy

Congress to Hold Hearing on Encryption and Privacy

Today the Senate is holding a hearing on "Going Dark: Encryption, Technology, and the Balance Between Public Safety and Privacy." FBI Director Comey, testifying today, has advocated for broken encryption to enable law enforcement access to private communications. Despite claims of "going dark" because of new encryption technologies, law enforcement encountered encryption in only 25 wiretap cases in 2014. Of those cases, non-encrypted text was obtained in all but four cases. EPIC has advocated for strong encryption and urged President Obama to reject proposals to weaken encryption. EPIC published the first comprehensive survey of encryption use around the world. And earlier this year, EPIC gave a Champion of Freedom Award to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who warned that "Criminals are using every technology tool at their disposal to hack into people's accounts. If they know there's a key hidden somewhere, they won't stop until they find it."

July 8, 2015| Share: