Died in committee
Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act
BadArchivedS.4051 / H.R.7891 (116th)
United StatesHigh threat
United StatesHigh threatIntroduced once in 2020 (116th Congress); not seen since
A recurring proposal to force companies to build law-enforcement access into encrypted devices and messages. Last introduced in 2020.
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Take action on this issueWhat it does
The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act would order device makers, operating systems, and providers to be able to decrypt data for police when handed a warrant. It mandates a built-in way past encryption, which security experts say cannot be kept to the good guys.
What’s at stake
A required way in is a backdoor by another name. Once it exists, it is a target for hackers and hostile governments, and it weakens security for everyone, not just suspects.
Our take
The bluntest of the encryption bills: where EARN IT pressures companies to drop encryption, this one just ordered a way in. It was introduced once in 2020 and has not returned in the years since, so it sits here as the reference for what a hard decryption mandate looks like, not as a live threat.
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