Bill to block FBI backdoor access introduced in Senate

A new bill has been introduced in Senate by Senator Ron Wyden aiming to stop the government from integrating backdoors and other surveillance software into consumer electronics in the U.S. The Secure Data Act will also prevent the officials from forcing companies like Google and Apple to grant access to encrypted data.

"Strong encryption and sound computer security is the best way to keep Americans' data safe from hackers and foreign threats. It is the best way to protect our constitutional rights at a time when a person's whole life can often be found on his or her smartphone. And strong computer security can rebuild consumer trust that has been shaken by years of misstatements by intelligence agencies about mass surveillance of Americans," Wyden said. "This bill sends a message to leaders of those agencies to stop recklessly pushing for new ways to vacuum up Americans' private information, and instead put that effort into rebuilding public trust."

A previous key legislation (USA Freedom Act) that would put an end to the massive collection of phone records by the U.S. National Security Agency, could not move towards a final vote in the Senate last month, despite support from the President's administration.

Meanwhile, after revelations about the NSA's surveillance program, manufacturers, including Apple and Google have recently started encrypting mobile phone data by default.

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