Bipartisan Group of House Lawmakers Reintroduces Encryption Bill

Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.; Mike Bishop, R-Mich.; Suzan DelBene, D-Wash.; and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, reintroduced the Ensuring National Constitutional Rights for Your Private Telecommunications (Encrypt) Act Thursday. The bill would establish a national policy for the interstate issue of encryption technology, pre-empting state and local government encryption laws. “As a computer science major, I can tell you that having 50 different mandatory state-level encryption standards is bad for security, consumers, innovation, and ultimately law enforcement,” Lieu said. His office said Encrypt has the support of the App Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Developers Alliance, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Engine and Internet Association. Computer & Communications Industry Association CEO Ed Black welcomed the bill's introduction: "A state-by-state patchwork of varying mandates is anathema to the quintessentially borderless nature of the Internet."