At a hearing this week on mobile device security, law enforcement representatives argued that technology companies should weaken encryption, such as by installing back doors, so that the government can have easier access to communications. They even chastised companies like Apple and Google for moving to provide consumers better privacy protections.
As an Ars Technica report put it, “lawmakers were not having it.” But a particular lawmaker’s response stands out. It’s the statement of Rep. Ted Lieu (D‑CA), one of the few members of Congress with a computer science degree. He also “gets” the structure of power. Lieu articulated why the Fourth Amendment specifically disables government agents’ access to information, and how National Security Agency spying has undercut the interests of law enforcement with its overreaching domestic spying.
Give a listen to Lieu as he chastises the position taken by a district attorney from Suffolk County, MA:
