US Senate committee releases anti-encryption proposal

Rage Review : The U.S. Senate Committee has issued an anti-encryption bill, the "Follow Court Orders Act of 2016," which ostensibly "protects Americans from criminal activities and terrorist attacks," but in reality seeks to access consumers' encrypted data. This new proposal has sparked strong opposition from the Bitcoin community, because for digital currency enthusiasts, encryption not only protects privacy, but is also a safer way to deal with all aspects of life. The "Follow Court Orders Act of 2016" proposes nothing more than an invasion of privacy.

Translation: Nicole

Cryptocurrency is a hot topic among digital currency enthusiasts because it not only protects privacy but is also a safer way to handle all aspects of life. The new bill submitted by the Intelligence Committee has already caused strong opposition.

While the excuse is gone, the new law—called the Comply with Court Orders Act of 2016—is intended to “protect Americans from criminal activity and terrorist attacks.” It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last, that such language has been used as the government desperately wants access to consumers’ encrypted data.

There is a lot of resistance to the proposal because of the idea that no one is (and should not be) above the law. It is entirely conceivable that any individual who receives a court order must be given access to their data immediately. But what makes some people nervous is the following statement:

“Service and product exchange providers should protect the privacy of the American people through strong data security and comply with court orders and other legal requirements.”

But that's not all, the same rules will be enforced on hardware and software manufacturers, and individuals or businesses will also be required to provide methods to facilitate communication or data storage. Or in words that everyone can understand: "The US government can go to court and order anyone to hand over sensitive user information, even by remotely controlling a communication device or service."

On Reddit, the Bitcoin community was also unhappy with the proposal, with some questioning how government officials could be so ignorant of their proposal, as if they had not come into contact with electronic products and data in the past decade.

There is certainly merit in making arguments about how Americans need to be protected from terrorist crimes, but the administration has criticized these same arguments for years, and none of the proposals have been passed.

In all fairness, those proposals should not have been passed either; the Compliance with Court Orders Bill 2016 proposes nothing more than an invasion of privacy.