Requiring Access to Encrypted Cellphones Would Harm US Innovation, Says Tech:NYC Paper

Federal or state laws that require smartphones made, leased or sold in the U.S. be unlocked so law enforcement can gain access to encrypted data are a threat to innovation, said Tech:NYC, a coalition of New York City tech companies, in its first policy paper. "Were a federal or state legislature to pass a decryption bill, then this technology would likely move offshore and into more open-source software that's not controlled by a single entity, available to only the savviest users," concluded the paper released Thursday. It said protecting people's sensitive data ensures their civil liberties. Most of the paper rehashed the Apple v. FBI fight over the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, California, mass shooters in 2015 (see 1606240051) and legislative efforts in New York and elsewhere regulating device encryption. The paper said the Trump administration would "advocate strongly in favor of requiring access," based on the statements from President Donald Trump, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Attorney General Jeff Sessions over the past year.