Dogtown Media Supports the ENCRYPT Act

Last week, a group of U.S. Representatives led by Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) reintroduced the Ensuring National Constitutional Rights for Your Private Telecommunications (ENCRYPT) Act.

This bipartisan legislation could make way for a more uniform national policy on encryption technology by standardizing both state and local government laws. Dogtown Media couldn’t be prouder of Lieu for representing Los Angeles. We are in full support of the ENCRYPT Act!

A Fragile State

“Any discussion of encryption and law enforcement access to data needs to happen at the federal level. As a computer science major, I can tell you that having 50 different mandatory state-level encryption standards is bad for security, consumers, innovation, and ultimately law enforcement,” explained Lieu in his opening remarks.

In attendance with Lieu were Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Congressman Mike Bishop (R-MI). While reintroducing the bill, each Representative got a chance to speak on the importance of passing this legislation. Our current standards have left the U.S. in a fragile state.

“When 50 states have different laws on encryption, it undermines our efforts to protect innocent Americans from bad actors who are looking to snatch personal data for their own nefarious uses,” explained Ms. DelBene. Congressman Jordan shared similar sentiments: “The current patchwork system for encryption makes it easier for further abuses of the system and increases the problem by creating potential opportunities for abuse by 3rd party actors.”

Strength in Unity

Each Representative also emphasized that creating a national standard for encryption is the solution that we need to pursue: “The ENCRYPT Act ensures we can have a national discussion about encryption without compromising consumers’ security in the process,” said Lieu.

Outside of Congress, the ENCRYPT Act has the vocal support of many organizations in the tech industry, including ACT, the App Association; ITI; Open Technology Institute; The Internet Association; and the Developers Alliance, just to name a few.

“The ENCRYPT Act is a necessary step to ensure Americans can use encrypted technologies to protect themselves and their data, regardless of where they live,” says Morgan Reed, President of ACT. “This legislation establishes national guidelines for the interstate use of encrypted technology and protects the data that drives our local economies and the app economy at large, and we urge Congress to advance these important measures through swift consideration of this important bill.”

The First Step Towards Better Encryption

The importance of supporting the ENCRYPT Act can’t be understated. A better encryption policy doesn’t just impact those in the tech sector like app developers of software engineers. It impacts how each of our personal data is handled and protected.

Dogtown Media applauds the authors of the ENCRYPT Act. We fully support their vision for better encryption for the entire United States!