Senate Dem: ‘Encryption is not the enemy’

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Monday proclaimed he is “standing up” against “dangerous” proposals that would require companies to give the government access to encrypted data.

Following the terror attacks in Paris, which killed about 130 people, lawmakers have gained new momentum in their push to introduce legislation that would compel companies to decrypt customer data upon government request.

{mosads}Capitol Hill’s top intelligence and homeland security leaders have said they believe the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used encrypted communications to organize their deadly Paris plot, making it impossible for intelligence agencies to catch on to the nefarious activities.

Law enforcement officials have called this the “going dark” problem.

But Wyden, a staunch congressional ally for digital rights groups, is warning his colleagues to avoid knee-jerk reactions.

“In the wake of the cowardly terrorist attacks in Paris, many politicians, intelligence officials and pundits are predictably calling for a return to discredited policies of the past that would weaken Americans’ security, violate their privacy and do little or nothing to protect us from terrorists,” he wrote in a post on Medium.

“I am standing up against these dangerous proposals to ensure we act based on the facts, not fear, in the days ahead,” Wyden added.

And the facts, he insisted, are that any type of guaranteed access to encrypted data puts all encrypted data at risk.

“Security experts have shown again and again that weakening encryption will make it easier foreign hackers, criminals and spies to break into Americans’ bank accounts, health records and phones, without preventing terrorists from ‘going dark,’ ” he said.

Indeed, technologists and privacy advocates have long pressed the Obama administration to move away from its desire to find a way to give investigators an entry point into secured databases.

The White House recently said it would no longer pursue a legislative solution, but instead work with companies directly.

Administration officials have reportedly sought a new round of meetings with tech sector leaders since the Paris attacks.

Wyden has previously introduced a bill, the so-called Secure Data Act, that would bar the government from mandating any type of entry point into encrypted devices. But the measure has been unable to move as a stand-alone effort.