CTA Says Encryption 'Backdoor' Would Set Dangerous Precedent for Privacy

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®:

“There is no way to build a ‘backdoor’ for law enforcement that would not also be inevitably discovered and exploited by hackers, cyber thieves, hostile foreign governments and other bad actors.  It would set a dangerous precedent that leaves the security and privacy of hundreds of millions of phone users around the world at stake. Encryption is critical in protecting our country and our most private information. But the current encryption debate wrongly pits technology and national security against each other. 
 
“Today’s technologies help law enforcement in many ways – including gunshot detection systems, thermal imaging, robotics, and even technologies that allow law enforcement throughout the country to share information in real-time. And investigators already have access to massive amounts of unencrypted data -- from phone data placing a suspect at the scene of a crime to predictive analytics that prevent security incidents before they even occur.
 
“American technology companies are good citizens, who work closely with our government to keep our nation safe. Instead of considering punishing America’s innovators, we should encourage public-private partnerships that protect us from terrorism and preserve the rights of U.S. citizens.”