Skip to main content

There isn't much support for the Senate's anti-encryption laws

enisa encryption report condemns backdoors protects your most private data
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It looks like we may not get backdoors in our phones for the government to use in spying on us after all. After the San Bernardino shootings, legislators pushed for a law requiring smartphone makers to build backdoors in smartphones, however it seems as though most of the support for those laws is gone, according to a report from Reuters.

Not only is much of the support gone, but sources for the Reuters report suggest that if the bill were to go to vote, it wouldn’t have much of a chance of being passed. Drafts of new legislation were circulated a few weeks ago despite the apparent dwindling of support for anti-encryption laws.

Recommended Videos

It’s not totally surprising that the bill is on its way out. Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, who co-wrote the bill, never really had a firm timetable, and it’s often difficult to push new laws into legislation during an election year.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Of course, this is good news for privacy advocates and the general public. While the FBI has been using the example of terrorism as a reason for implementing these anti-encryption laws, the laws would essentially mean that the government could spy on any U.S. citizen, whether it has a reasonable basis for suspecting the person is involved with crime or not.

One of the main issues in pushing the bill has to do with a lack of White House support — so much so that former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden recently said that the White House had “dropped the anchor and taken down the sail.”

Moreover, the FBI has largely stopped going after Apple in and out of court — although reports indicate that this is because the FBI has found someone else to hack into the iPhone. Still, the Department of Justice and the FBI are still pursuing other cases that involve hacking into other devices. So while the battle against Apple may be over for the most part, the larger fight is likely to rage on, as it has in one form or another for years.

Tech companies have largely sided with consumer groups, insisting that giving the government full access to smartphones essentially undermines security and is a threat to privacy in general.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
One of the first Android phones of 2024 isn’t what you expect
A person holding the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, showing the back.

You probably didn’t expect a flagship smartphone to launch at CES 2024 — a show where mobile news is usually secondary to TVs, computers, and wearables. But Asus has used its Las Vegas visit to reveal the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro, the latest models in its long-running gaming phone range.

It’s not just the timing that’s unexpected -- it’s the ROG Phone 8 Pro itself. Yes, it’s an Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) smartphone aimed at mobile gamers, but it’s also unlike all the others that have come before it. If you expected the ROG Phone 8 Pro to be an all-out, zero-compromise gaming behemoth, prepare to be a little taken aback by what it actually is.
What you need to know about the ROG Phone 8 Pro

Read more
The iPhone’s futuristic satellite tech isn’t coming to Android any time soon
The Google Pixel 8's screen.

It could take a while before Android phones allow satellite connectivity to assist users in emergency scenarios, thanks in no part to Qualcomm canceling its ambitious Snapdragon Satellite plans. Apple introduced satellite SOS support last year with the iPhone 14 series, with the intention of helping people when they are out of cellular or broadband coverage range.

The feature allows you to text emergency responders, share locations, and request roadside assistance. But not long after, hope emerged for Android phones. Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, with the goal of aping Apple’s initiative for Android phones.

Read more
An iPhone that isn’t the iPhone 15 is selling fast in Japan
Apple's logo on an iPhone.

Apple released the iPhone 15 last month, with the new device offering two screen sizes of 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches.

The arrival of the latest iteration of the tech giant's popular handset saw the company banish from its online store the iPhone 13 Mini, which, as its name suggests, offers a smaller 5.4-inch display.

Read more