Tech giants voice opposition to anti-encryption legislation
As the U.S. government ponders policies that would allow it to sidestep encryption, a pair of industry associations representing some of the biggest tech companies are speaking out. They include The Information Technology Industry Council and the Software and Information Industry Association. Collectively, the two organizations represent companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM, and Microsoft, among others.
In what Reuters describes as a strongly worded letter, the two industry associations made it known that they're "opposed to any policy actions or measures that would undermine encryption as an available and effective tool."
The issue largely deals with mobile devices. Tech companies are being urged to build backdoors or find other ways that would allow law enforcement to bypass encryption schemes so that they can investigate illegal activities. The challenge is in coming up with a solution that wouldn't undermine the security of such devices, which would make them more accessible to computer hackers.
"Consumer trust in digital products and services is an essential component enabling continued economic growth of the online marketplace," the industry groups wrote.
It's a bit of an impossible situation on the security side, and that being the case, the industry groups have asked the government not to go forward with any legislation that would require companies to weaken encryption or create backdoors.
From maximumpc
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