Washington — A day before a Senate Judiciary hearing on encryption, the Computer & Communications Industry Association joined 100 other organizations from around the world in a New America Open Technologies Institute letter to officials in Australia, the U.S. and U.K expressing concern about their misconceptions about encryption.
CCIA, which represents device makers, internet services and telecommunication companies, has supported strong encryption for decades. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“Recent statements by law enforcement officials argue that so-called backdoors into encrypted devices and services are necessary for law enforcement to combat crime.
“However, forcing tech companies to build tools to circumvent strong encryption creates significant security risks, while doing little to help law enforcement catch criminals. The problem is these security gaps could be exploited by nefarious actors to target individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure, while criminals can switch to other encryption tools. That’s why despite technology changing over the decades, stakeholders have consistently recognized the privacy and security value of strong encryption to all segments of society.”