A new encryption bill is expected to hit the Senate floor soon which would prohibit the creation of unbreakable encryptions and would require companies to help with the encryptions already set should the government present a warrant. The draft is currently being finalized by top Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. The idea behind the bill, the two released in a statement, is to ensure that any company is subject to assisting the government or law enforcement by providing decrypted information; “No individual or company is above the law.” While no timetable has been set for this anticipating bill, Senator Burr has said the language will surface by the end of this week.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon took issue with the language of the bill, and believes that in its current form it requires companies to build an encrypted backdoor into their products. “They would be required by federal law per this statute to decide how to weaken their products to make Americans less safe,” he says, as well as do “everything in my power” to stop the bill from passing. The bill follows Apple’s highly publicized battle with the FBI over the infamous San Bernardino phone, and looks to be a legislative answer for the government should a similar issue arise in the future.