Washington — The Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Internet Association, and the i2Coalition filed a joint amicus brief Thursday supporting Apple in its attempt to fend off an unprecedented government demand that it undermine encryption. A court is expected to hear the Apple encryption case March 22.
While Apple is not a member of any of the the organizations signing onto the joint brief, those voicing concern about the case represent a broad selection of the nation’s top technology and Internet companies. In this brief, CCIA and our partners argue that if the court sides with the government, it would create a dangerous precedent for governments around the world to “conscript a wide range of businesses and industries” to perform tasks that could seriously undermine digital safety, commerce, and expression.
CCIA has advocated for constitutional and reasonable limits on government surveillance in testimony on Capitol Hill for more than a decade. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“While the tech industry understands the government’s desire for information, and respects its mission to keep us safe, we hope the court appropriately weighs the wider issues of security and trust that are also at stake in this case. If the court sides with the government’s unprecedented demand that Apple develop software to undermine critical security features, there will be dire implications for the for the public’s confidence in the integrity of the Internet, and more importantly for the security of the digital ecosystem.”
The following can be attributed to Internet Association President & CEO Michael Beckerman:
“The Internet industry respects the important role law enforcement plays in our society keeping Americans safe and has zero tolerance for terrorism on or offline. A government request that asks companies to engineer vulnerabilities into their products or services will harm national security and put user information at risk.”
The following can be attributed to i2C Coalition executive director Christian Dawson:
“Privacy and security lay at the heart of the Internet. The customers of Internet infrastructure providers demand features that allow them to create private and secure businesses. The government’s position would undermine this ability. Because aspects of Internet infrastructure cannot be rearchitected to accommodate demands like those made on Apple, the security of the Internet as a whole will be fundamentally weakened.”
Contact:
Heather Greenfield 202-256-5610