In a letter sent to President Obama this week, the leading associations representing the technology industry said they oppose “any policy actions or measures” by the federal government that would undermine encryption technologies.
Citing encryption technology’s role in protecting consumer privacy and securing the integrity of data in the global digital infrastructure, the Information Technology Industry Council and Software & Information Industry Association asked Obama to work with the technology industry to find a pathway forward that “preserves security, privacy and innovation.”
The trade groups warned in the letter against implementing policies that mandate the weakening of encryption or the ill-conceived notion of building in dedicated “work-arounds” for government agencies to access information.
The letter also stated that in addition to being technologically impractical, such policies would “compromise the security” of technology products and services, “rendering them more vulnerable to attacks” by criminals or bad actors. It would also “erode consumers’ trust in the products and services they rely on for protecting their information,” the trade groups said.
Recognizing that “the issue at hand is extremely complex, with implications both domestically and internationally” the industry groups seek to open a dialogue on policies surrounding encryption and offer to help develop a framework for further discussions.
