195 Experts, Organizations Protest Weakened Encryption, in Letter to World Leaders

One hundred ninety-five experts, companies and organizations are protesting laws and legislation that would weaken strong encryption, in a letter that will be delivered to world leaders in China, India, the U.K., U.S. and other nations. “The internet belongs to the world’s people, not its governments," said Access Now Executive Director Brett Solomon Monday in a news release. "We refuse to let this precious resource become nationalized and broken by any nation. This letter seeks to unify the voices of global internet users by demanding the protection of tools necessary to the expression of our human rights.” Access Now, which organized the letter, said several countries, including the U.S. (see 1511240023), want companies to provide governments with a back door to encrypted files. David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression, security expert Bruce Schneier and Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a member of the Icelandic Parliament, among others, signed the letter. Among organizations and companies, ACLU, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Internet Association and TechFreedom signed it.