Died in committee
EARN IT Act
BadDormantS.1207 / H.R.2732 (118th)
United States
United StatesNot before the 119th CongressHigh threat
Strips platforms of liability protection in a way that pressures them to break end-to-end encryption.
What it does
EARN IT strips Section 230 protection from platforms unless they follow state and federal rules on child sexual abuse material. Scanning private messages is the easy way to comply, so the bill pushes companies to weaken or drop end-to-end encryption rather than face lawsuits.
Why it matters
A door built to catch abusers is a door for everyone. Once a company can read your messages to satisfy the law, hackers and the state can use the same way in.
Our take
EARN IT never bans encryption. It makes offering it a legal risk, so companies drop it themselves. It has died in committee three Congresses running and keeps coming back, so treat it as dormant, not dead.
Timeline
Sponsors
Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Previous versions
Died in committee
Died in committee