California Wants to Ban Encrypted Smartphones

[WildBill]

California: home of the world's biggest technology companies, terrible bagels, and the only place that can suffer both drought and floods at the same time.

Despite the state's deep tech roots, California's legislature is considering banning devices that come with unbreakable encryption.

California assembly member Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) introduced the legislation, bill 1681, that would require any smartphone
manufactured "on or after January 1, 2017, and sold in California after that date" to be "capable of being decrypted and
unlocked by its manufacturer or its operating system provider."

Any smartphone that couldn't be decrypted on demand would subject a seller to a $2,500 fine.

http://www.cnet.com/news/california-wan ... artphones/

[TomsTXCHL]

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

In Texas there's talk periodically about secession. Has there ever in US history been talk of expelling a state from the union? If not, maybe it's time...

[treadlightly]

And yet that legislator continues to conduct secret deliberations in executive sessions, and I bet he encapsulates his mail in opaque envelopes - all a sure sign he's hiding something!

Best of all, I went to his campaign website and clicked on the "donate" button. Don't worry, I didn't send a dime. The donate page is an "https" page - encrypted. His web provider, NGP VAN, says that campaign donations to their liberal pod people customers are protected by SSL.

But maybe that's not so inconsistent. SSL only protects data in flight, not stored at either end, and SSL certificates are, at least in common practice, controlled by a small cabal of certificate authorities, much like Mr. Cooper might see his legislature controlling his constituents.

What a dork.

[Beiruty]

Would not fly. US Citizens love their privacy. It is the 4th for the those who are not in the know.

[gljjt]

When encrypted phones are outlawed, only outlaws will have encrypted phones. This is a solution looking for a non-existent problem.

[Jusme]

And yet that legislator continues to conduct secret deliberations in executive sessions, and I bet he encapsulates his mail in opaque envelopes - all a sure sign he's hiding something!

Best of all, I went to his campaign website and clicked on the "donate" button. Don't worry, I didn't send a dime. The donate page is an "https" page - encrypted. His web provider, NGP VAN, says that campaign donations to their liberal pod people customers are protected by SSL.

But maybe that's not so inconsistent. SSL only protects data in flight, not stored at either end, and SSL certificates are, at least in common practice, controlled by a small cabal of certificate authorities, much like Mr. Cooper might see his legislature controlling his constituents.

What a dork.

I didn't see it in the bill, but I'll bet that he will want to exclude lawmakers under this law. There is no way that he would want to give up his precious freedom of privacy, but he wants to be able to see what the general populace is doing.

[Papa_Tiger]

<sarcasm> No, you are looking at this all wrong. This is just a tool to aid law enforcement. It doesn't matter if they can search your phone without a warrant if they can't decrypt it. This will rightly allow them access to all the data on your phone when they execute their valid warrantless search. </sarcasm>

[Unocat]

California can keep up their nonsense... attract all the liberals/commies to one place... the smart and conservative Californians will move out.

[Deltaboy]

Another reason to never visit Cally.

[The Annoyed Man]

Another reason to never visit Cally.

And I have to go back there in the next few months to visit my mom, for whom it might be our last visit....... :(

I am so glad to have moved to Texas. It will be 10 years in April since I moved here (for me.... I came a couple of months ahead of my family). But I have friends still there, as well as a few family members, and it never ceases to amaze me that they don't get the heck out.

[Solaris]

Within in 10 years, all cellphones will have a backdoor for GOVT access. Get your pre-ban while you can. I am amazed Apple has held out so long.

[Smokey]

Don't worry they will just hack you to work around that encryption if they want to:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

If it connects to a network it is basically not secure.

[anygunanywhere]

Its for the children.

[RossA]

So for non-techie people like me, what the heck does this mean? Is my phone that I bought from Verizon encrypted? If a cop gets my phone, he can just look at what's on there without any fancy tech stuff happening. Just like I do every time I pick it up.