John,
As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the United States, people have increasingly turned to encrypted messaging services like Signal1 and WhatsApp2 to keep in touch with loved ones, conduct important business, and hold private conversations with doctors and therapists.
But these secure services could all go away if Congress passes the EARN IT Act.
Donate now to save encrypted messaging from dangerous government overreach.
DONATE
If passed, the EARN IT Act will grant the Attorney General broad new powers to force tech companies to do whatever he wants under threat of lawsuits and criminal prosecution. The authors of the EARN IT Act say that this new law is meant to prevent child exploitation, but legal scholars3, journalists4, and privacy experts5 all warn that the bill’s passage would end digital encryption, leading to widespread government surveillance and human rights abuses. Now the people in charge of encrypted messaging apps are saying it, too.
In a recent blog post, Signal developer Joshua Lund described how the EARN IT Act would force start-ups and small tech companies to move their products out of the American market.6
“Some large tech behemoths could hypothetically shoulder the enormous financial burden of handling hundreds of new lawsuits if they suddenly became responsible for the random things their users say, but it would not be possible for a small nonprofit like Signal to continue to operate within the United States,” Lund wrote.
That’s bad news. Encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp protect ordinary people’s personal information from hackers, identity thieves, and government spying. And Signal is specifically recommended for use by members of the military7 and Congress8 to ensure that state secrets and classified information are safe from espionage. By forcing companies like Signal out of the US, the EARN IT Act would put us all at risk.
Please consider making a donation so that we can fight to protect encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp.
Regards,
Dayton
Footnotes:
1. Signal: https://signal.org/blog/earn-it/
2. TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/26/report-whatsapp-has-seen-a-40-increase-in-usage-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/
3. The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law Center: https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2020/01/earn-it-act-how-ban-end-end-encryption-without-actually-banning-it
4. The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/interface/2020/3/12/21174815/earn-it-act-encryption-killer-lindsay-graham-match-group
5. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2020/03/30/the-cybersecurity-202-cybersecurity-experts-slam-child-protection-bill-that-risks-rolling-back-encryption/5e80cfd5602ff10d49ad761a/
6. PC Mag: https://www.pcmag.com/news/messaging-app-signal-threatens-to-dump-us-market-if-anti-encryption-bill
7. Military Times: https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/01/23/deployed-82nd-airborne-unit-told-to-use-these-encrypted-messaging-apps-on-government-cellphones/
8. The Hill: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/333802-sen-staff-can-use-signal-for-encrypted-chat
Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.
