Proposed FY2018 Ups Spending for FBI Anti-Encryption Tools
President Trump’s proposed budget reveals a $61 million increase in FBI funds dedicated to fighting encryption. The newly released budget for Fiscal Year 2018 directs the FBI to invest “$61 million more to fight terrorism and combat foreign intelligence and cyber threats and address public safety and national security risks that result from malicious actors’ use of encrypted products and services.” The FY2017 budget set aside $38 million to FBI anti-encryption technology and research. EPIC has advocated for strong encryption since its founding, and consistently pushed back against efforts to weaken the technology. EPIC also published the first comprehensive survey of encryption use around the world.