As your constituent and someone with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan and 20 years in the field, I urge you to reject Sens. Graham and Blumenthal’s proposed bill, the EARN IT Act (S. 3398).
The bill would give the Attorney General far too much discretionary authority to regulate communication technology. Attorney General Barr has made it clear that he would use that authority to undermine our right to private and secure encrypted communications. Among other things, this would make journalists and whistleblowers more vulnerable at a time when their work is more important than ever. It will undermine our national security, and the security of our allies around the world.
Under EARN IT, Barr could require that tech companies weaken their own systems in order to give law enforcement access to our private communications. Such a demand would put encryption providers like WhatsApp and Signal in an awful conundrum: either face the possibility of losing everything in a single lawsuit or k