A thing about writing a newsletter about technology and democracy during a global pandemic is that technology and democracy are no longer really at the forefront of everyones attention. The relationship between big platforms and the nations they operate in remains vitally important for all sorts of reasons, and Ive argued that the platforms have been unusually proactive in their efforts to promote high-quality information sources. Still, these moves are a sideshow compared to the questions were all now asking. How many people will get COVID-19? How many people will die? Will our healthcare system be overwhelmed? How long will it take our economy to recover?

We wont know the answers for weeks, but Im starting to fear the worst. On Wednesday the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 had officially become a pandemic. A former director for the Centers for Disease Control now says that in the worst case scenario, more than 1 million Americans could die.

This piece by Tomas Pueyo argues persuasively that the United States is currently seeing exponential growth in the number of people contracting the disease, and that hospitals are likely to be overwhelmed. Pueyos back ground is in growth marketing, not in epidemiology. But by now we have seen enough outbreaks in enough countries to have a rough idea of how the disease spreads, and to understand the value of social distancing that is, staying behind closed doors. So I want to recommend that everyone here reads that piece, and consider modifying your behavior if youre still planning events or spending a lot of time in public.

* * *

One risk of having the world pay attention to a single, all-consuming story is that less important but still urgent stories are missed along the way. One such unfolding story in our domain is the (deep breath) Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act, which was the subject of a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Heres Alfred Ng with an explainer in CNET:

The EARN IT Act was introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican of South Carolina) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Democrat of Connecticut), along with Sen. Josh Hawley (Republican of Missouri) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat of California) on March 5.

The premise of the bill is that technology companies have to earn Section 230 protections rather than being granted immunity by default, as the Communications Decency Act has provided for over two decades.

For starters, its not clear that companies have to earn what are already protections provided under the First Amendment: to publish, and to allow their users to publish, with very few legal restrictions. But if the EARN IT Act were passed, tech companies could be held liable if their users posted illegal content. This would represent a significant and potentially devastating amendment to Section 230, a much-misunderstood law that many consider a pillar of the internet and the businesses that operate on top of it.

When internet companies become liable for what their users post, those companies aggressively moderate speech. This was the chief outcome of FOSTA-SESTA, the last bill Congress passed to amend Section 230. It was putatively written to eliminate sex trafficking, and was passed into law after Facebook endorsed it. I wrote about the aftermath in October:

[The law] threatens any website owner with up to 10 years in prison for hosting even one instance of prostitution-related content. As a result, sites like Craigslist removed their entire online personals sections. Sex workers who had previously been working as their own bosses were driven back onto the streets, often forced to work for pimps. Prostitution-related crime in San Francisco alone including violence against workers more than tripled.

Meanwhile, evidence that the law reduced sex trafficking is suspiciously hard to come by. And there is little reason to believe that the EARN IT Act will be a greater boon to public life.

Yet, for the reasons Issie Lapowsky lays out today in a good piece in Protocol, it may pass anyway. Once again Congress has lined up some sympathetic witnesses who paint a picture that, because of their misfortune, whole swathes of the internet should be eliminated. It would do that by setting up a byzantine checklist structure that would handcuff companies to a difficult-to-modify set of procedures. One item on that checklist could be eliminating end-to-end encryption in messaging apps, depriving the world of a secure communications tool at a time when authoritarian governments are surging around the world. Heres Lapowsky:

The EARN IT Act would establish the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention, a 19-member commission, tasked with creating a set of best practices for online companies to abide by with regard to stopping child sexual abuse material. Those best practices would have to be approved by 14 members of the committee and submitted to the attorney general, the secretary of homeland security, and the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission for final approval. That list would then need to be enacted by Congress. Companies would have to certify that theyre following those best practices in order to retain their Section 230 immunity. Like FOSTA/SESTA before it, losing that immunity would be a significant blow to companies with millions, or billions, of users posting content every day.

The question now is whether the industry can convince lawmakers that the costs of the law outweigh the benefits. Its a debate that will test what tech companies have learned from the FOSTA/SESTA battle and how much clout they even have left on Capitol Hill.

The bills backers have not said definitively that they will demand a backdoor for law enforcement (and whoever else can find it) as part of the EARN IT Act. (In fact, Blumenthal denies it.) But nor have they written the bill to say they wont. And Graham, one of the bills cosponsors, left little doubt on where he stands:

Facebook is talking about end-to-end encryption which means they go blind, Sen Graham said, later adding, Were not going to go blind and let this abuse go forward in the name of any other freedom.

Notably, Match Group the company behind Tinder, OKCupid, and many of the most popular dating apps in the United States has come out in support of the bill. (Thats easy for Match: none of the apps it makes offer encrypted communications.) The platforms are starting to speak up against it, though see this thread from WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart.

In the meantime, Graham raises the prospect that the federal government will get what it has long wanted greatly expanded power to surveil our communications by burying it in a complex piece of legislation that is nominally about reducing the spread of child abuse imagery. Its a cynical move, and if the similar tactics employed in the FOSTA-SESTA debate were any indication, it might well be an effective one.

Trending up: Amazon and the Gates Foundation might team up to deliver coronavirus test kits to Seattle homes. The test kits include nose swabs that can be mailed to the University of Washington for analysis.

Trending up: Amazon will give all employees diagnosed with coronavirus or put into quarantine up to two weeks of paid sick leave. The policy includes part-time warehouse workers. COVID-19 has really been a watershed for tech giants treating their contract workers like the human beings they are.

On the policy front:

The White House met with Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, Apple, and Microsoft to coordinate efforts over the coronavirus outbreak. (Reuters)

YouTube will begin letting creators make money from their videos about the coronavirus. Its a reversal of an earlier decision the company made to automatically demonetize videos that talked about the outbreak. That decision angered creators, and now the company has walked it back. (Julia Alexander / The Verge)

On the economy:

Apple is closing all 17 of its retail stores in Italy until further notice as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the country. (Mark Gurman / Bloomberg)

The coronavirus outbreak is hurting Airbnb hosts as travel screeches to a halt. The economic downturn is also impacting airlines and hotels, but hosts have fewer resources to cope. (Erin Griffith / The New York Times)

Travel influencers also say the spread of COVID-19 has impacted their lives and bottom lines. (Tanya Chen / BuzzFeed)

On the office front:

Google is asking all employees in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to work from home due to coronavirus concerns. Employees in North American have already been given the same advice. (Isobel Asher Hamilton and Rob Price / Business Insider)

On the conference front:

The Council on Foreign Relations had to cancel a roundtable discussion about doing business under coronavirus due to, well, the coronavirus. Its one of many events that have been canceled or rescheduled in recent weeks to do the viruss spread. (David Welch / Bloomberg)

The biggest trade show in video games, E3 2020, was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The event was supposed to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center this June. (Jason Schreier / Kotaku)

On the misinformation front:

A Facebook group called U.K. Preppers & Survivalists is trying to stop misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic from spreading. One of the moderators said that while people should question news and politicians, questioning doctors isnt helpful. (Hussein Kesvani / Mel)

Hackers are sending emails with fake HIV results and coronavirus information that infect computers with malware, according to cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint. The fake HIV emails are designed to look like they come from Vanderbilt University. (Jane Lytvynenko / BuzzFeed)

WeChat users in China are evading censors by translating a viral interview from a coronavirus whistleblower in Wuhan, China. Theyre rewriting it backward, filling it with typos and emojis, sharing it as a PDF, and even translating it into fictional languages like Klingon. (Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed)

We need to combat misinformation about coronavirus the same way were combating the virus itself: with a communitarian focus. This strategy emphasizes the needs of the community rather than just focusing on the individual, this piece argues. (Whitney Phillips / Wired)

Elsewhere:

Microsoft, Google, and Zoom are trying to keep up with demand for their software, which allows people to work remotely. The companies have also started giving it away to companies and schools for free, as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies. (Rani Molla / Recode)

Heres the case for why coronavirus quarantines could be good for memes. Finally, some good news! (Brian Feldman / Intelligencer)

Maryland, Nebraska, and New York have all proposed taxes that would force tech companies to hand over a portion of the revenue generated from digital advertising. The proposals mirror taxes countries like France have also considered. Ashley Gold at The Information has the story:

The proposals vary in approach and scope, but they all center around the idea that big internet companies, having built their fortunes in part through the use of consumers personal information, should be contributing more to government coffers. The bills, which face mixed prospects for adoption, have drawn the ire of tech companies and other business groups, who say it could be challenging to determine precisely how much of their ad revenue comes from each state. In addition, tax experts said, the proposals could run afoul of federal law.

But lawmakers and other advocates believe the proposals might find favor with voters concerned about the power wielded by Silicon Valley and large corporations in general.

Also: The UK government confirmed that it will levy a 2 percent tax on the revenues of search engines, social media services and online marketplaces which derive value from U.K. users starting on April 1st. The United States government has been strongly opposed to the plan. (Shakeel Hashim / Protocol)

After 2016, Americans are alert to Russian election interference and outside attempts to spread discord. But conspiracy theories and vitriol are now coming from influencers in the United States verified users, many from within the media, and passionate hyper-partisan fan groups that band together to drive the conversation. (Rene DiResta / The Atlantic)

Joe Biden has more than tripled the amount of money his campaign is spending on Facebook ads following a strong showing on Super Tuesday. His spend on Facebook ads in March has exceeded that of Bernie Sanders and President Trump. (Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC)

As big tech companies struggle to moderate content with a mix of algorithms, fact-checkers, and policies, Wikipedia is quietly managing to stave off misinformation with an army of anonymous volunteers. (Alex Pasternack / Fast Company)

Clearview AI let multiple people associated with the Trump campaign use its facial recognition app. Venture capital firms including SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Founders Fund also ran searches. Clearview previously tried to claim that the app was only for law enforcement. (Ryan Mac, Caroline Haskins and Logan McDonald / BuzzFeed)

Microsoft organized 35 nations to take down one of the worlds largest botnets malware that secretly seizes control of millions of computers around the globe. The move was unusual because it was carried out by a company, not a government. (David E. Sanger / The New York Times)

Content related to far-right candidates in Poland makes up a greater percentage of general Facebook content than of content on mainstream outlets Facebook pages, according to researchers at Stanford. Evidence suggests this might be because far-right pages are especially good at boosting engagement on Facebook by posting content simultaneously across their networks. (Daniel Bush, Anna Gielewska, Maciej Kurzynski / Cyber Policy Center)

TikTok is launching a Transparency Center in Los Angeles to give outside experts more insight into how the company makes content moderation decisions. Its one of many moves the company has made in recent months to quell the concerns of US regulators and lawmakers. This ones interesting. Reuters explains:

The center would later provide insights into the apps source code, the closely guarded internal instructions of the software, and offer more details on privacy and security.

Several U.S. agencies that deal with national security and intelligence issues have banned employees from using the app, whose popularity among teenagers has been growing rapidly.

According to a 2017 Chinese law, companies operating in the country are required to cooperate with the government on national intelligence.

Egon Durban of Silver Lake is the latest Twitter board member to have never tweeted before joining the board.

Rihanna just announced shes opening a Fenty Beauty House for TikTok creators as part of a promotion for her makeup line. Creators will be able to raid the fully stocked Make-up Pantry to create their own beauty-focused content. What a fun time to be trapped together in a house with a bunch of people you barely know! Dont share make-up brushes yall! (Bianca Betancourt / Harpers Bazaar)

Alphabet was supposed to help Google invent its next blockbuster technologies. But nearly a half-decade has passed since it launched, and the breakthrough new businesses havent materialized. (Nick Bastone and Jessica E. Lessin / The Information)

Google has pressured TV manufacturers not to use Amazons Fire TV system. The strategy has slowed Amazons efforts to expand its Fire TV platform. (Janko Roettgers / Protocol)

Googles sibling company Sidewalk Labs is walking back plans to create a futuristic city in Toronto. The plans, which combined environmentally advanced construction with sensors to track residents movements, raised privacy concerns. In May, the government will announce if the project will proceed. (Ian Austen / The New York Times)

Send us tips, comments, questions, and EARN IT Act worse-case scenarios: casey@theverge.com and zoe@theverge.com.

See more here:
A sneaky attempt to end encryption is worming its way through Congress - The Verge

A bipartisan group of 10 senators introduced legislation designed to combat online child pornography, but many privacy and cybersecurity advocates are vehemently opposed to the bill.

Many groups focused on privacy and cybersecurity fear the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act ( EARN IT) will lead to new restrictions on the use of encryption on websites and web-based messaging services.

The bill gives the attorney general broad authority to craft new standards for websites and online services to protect against child pornography. Attorney General William Barr has often called encryption a valuable tool for child pornographers and other criminals, and privacy and security groups fear he will quickly move to require encryption back doors in online services.

The bill undermines the privacy of every single American, stifles our ability to communicate freely online, and may jeopardize the very prosecutions it seeks to enable, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a March 9 letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Encrypted communications are vital to everyones privacy.

Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal released a discussion draft of the bill earlier this year, and on March 5, they introduced the bipartisan EARN IT Act. At the same time, Google, Facebook, and four other online companies announced they were adopting new voluntary guidelines to fight child pornography.

The bill would create a new commission that develops best practices for preventing online child pornography, and it would enforce these standards by removing lawsuit protections from websites and online services that fail to implement them.

The EARN IT Act would require online services to certify the best practices developed by the commission. If not, they risk expanded legal liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which protects sites from lawsuits for user-generated content accused of defamation, breach of contract, and other violations.

Section 230 protects video-hosting sites like YouTube and social media providers such as Facebook and Twitter, but also any website that allows users to post comments, including many news sites.

Sponsors of the bill argue that its needed to crack down on the tens of millions of photos and videos posted online depicting child abuse.

The EARN IT Act will ensure tech companies are using best business practices to prevent child exploitation online, Graham said in a statement. For the first time, [websites] will have to earn blanket liability protection when it comes to protecting minors. Our goal is to do this in a balanced way that doesnt overly inhibit innovation, but forcibly deals with child exploitation.

After senators introduced the EARN IT Act, a trickle of criticism turned into a flood, however. The bill could turn voluntary reporting of child pornography by websites into a legal procedure that requires newly deputized websites to get court-ordered warrants before turning in users, the ACLU said in its March 9 letter.

Any evidence of [child abuse] obtained through investigations conducted to comply with the EARN IT Act, therefore, could be inadmissible in court if obtained without a warrant or in any other manner that does not comply with the Fourth Amendment, the ACLU wrote.

Critics also noted the value of encryption to domestic violence victims, to dissidents and journalists, to members of Congress, and to members of the U.S. military.

The 82nd Airborne Army division, deployed in the Middle East, uses encrypted applications Signal and Wickr to avoid surveillance by the Iranian government, the ACLU said. Encrypted services protect all of us from the prying eyes of hostile foreign governments and numerous other bad actors.

Another 25 groups, including FreedomWorks, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation, also wrote a letter to Graham and Blumenthal, voicing strong opposition to the bill. The legislation raises First Amendment and Fourth Amendment concerns, and it could push criminals to underground communications services.

Eliminating or undermining encryption on some online platforms will make law enforcements job harder by simply pushing criminals to other communications options, the groups wrote. In other words, EARN IT would harm ordinary users who rely on encrypted messaging, but would not stop bad actors.

Go here to see the original:
Child exploitation bill earns strong opposition from encryption advocates - Washington Examiner

A bill currently wending its way through US Congress is ostensibly aimed at combating child sexual abuse material. But privacy organisations are warning that it could have the (perhaps not entirely unintended) consequence of endangering online encryption and providing the US government unfettered powers to comb through citizens comms.

The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act was first introduced by a group of US senators on 5 March. The basic premise of the bill is that tech companies will have to earn Section 230 protections rather than being granted them by default, as the Communications Decency Act has ensured for over twenty years.

The EARN IT Act would establish the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention, whose job it would be to create a set of best practices for online companies to follow, with regard to stopping child sexual abuse material. The agreed best practices would pass through a series of stages before being enacted by Congress. Companies would have to demonstrate that theyre adhering to those best practices in order to retain their Section 230 immunity.

The beleaguered Section 230 bill means that platform companies are not liable for the content thats posted on their sites. Its often considered a pillar upholding free speech on the internet. If the EARN IT act passed, it would effectively mean that tech companies could be held liable for the illegal content uploaded by their users.

The bill says nothing explicitly about encryption, but could indirectly call for a clamp-down on private channels putatively because they can be used as a means of ferrying illegal content. Its possible that in looking to weaken encryption, the bill could demand companies build back doors into their products.

Senate judiciary committee chairman Lindsey Graham, one of the bills cosponsors, hinted at this eventuality. Facebook is talking about end-to-end encryption which means they go blind, he said, later adding, Were not going to go blind and let this abuse go forward in the name of any other freedom.

Riana Pfefferkorn, the associate director of surveillance and cyber security at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, wrote a blog post suggesting that this law could be a sneaky way of undermining another bit of legislation that has long been a thorn in the side of US intelligence agencies. This is the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA).

Pfefferkorn writes: CALEA requires telecommunications carriers (e.g., phone companies) to make their networks wiretappable for law enforcement. However, that mandate does not cover information services: websites, email, social media, chat apps, cloud storage, and so on. Put another way, the providers of information services are not required to design to be surveillance-friendly. Lets call that the information services carve-out in CALEA. Plus, even covered entities are free to encrypt communications and throw away the keys to decrypt them. Lets call that the encryption carve-out.

She continues: Both DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been trying for at least a decade to close them. But Congress has shown no appetite for that. As said, CALEA has never once been amended in the quarter-century since it was passed. And even with the techlash in full swell, there isnt a furious public frenzy over CALEA. Politicians know that many Americans are fed up with tech companies hiding behind Section 230 of the CDA. But nobody is saying, Im fed up with tech companies hiding behind Section 1002 of CALEA!

So, how can law enforcement achieve its long-desired CALEA goal? By pushing a bill that talks about Section 230 instead.

Facebook and other platforms are increasingly under fire over insufficient moderation of the content posted on their sites. However, another amendment to Section 230, demonstrates the ways in which attacks on this piece of legislation can go awry.

FOSTA-SESTA, the last bill Congress passed to amend Section 230, was ostensibly about addressing sex trafficking online, and made companies liable for any content posted on their sites that could be related to the illegal practice. However, in practical terms, the amendment made life much harder for the consensual sex workers who used the internet to make their job safer, and drove many who had been using services like Backpage back onto the streets. Evidence that FOSTA-SESTA has done anything to curb sex trafficking is hard to locate.

Lobbying groups including TechNet and the Internet Association, as well as tech giants like Facebook, have signalled their opposition to the EARN IT law over concerns that the commission could force online services to weaken encryption in order to maintain Section 230 immunity.

Match Group the company behind Tinder and OKCupid has, however, come out in support of the bill.

Amnesty International wrote the following in a statement: In the digital age, access to and use of encryption is an essential component of the right to privacy. Encryption allows people to share their opinions with others without fear of reprisals. It also allows people to access information and to organize, even under repressive regimes. Strong encryption is an essential component of the rights to freedom of expression, information, opinion, and peaceful assembly. Encryption is a particularly critical tool for human rights defenders, activists and journalists, all of whom rely on it with increasing frequency to protect their security and that of others against unlawful surveillance.

In July 2019, US Attorney General William Barr demanded that internet giants build backdoors into their products to more easily facilitate intelligence snooping:

We are not talking about protecting the nations nuclear launch codes, Barr told the International Conference on Cyber Security at Fordham University.

Nor are we necessarily talking about the customized encryption used by large business enterprises to protect their operations. We are talking about consumer products and services such as messaging, smart phones, email, and voice and data applications.

There have been enough dogmatic pronouncements that lawful access simply cannot be done. It can be, and it must be.

The arrival of the EARN IT Act coincided with AG Barr announcing that members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance made up of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US have agreed to a set of principles to guide internet companies in their efforts to combat child sexual abuse content. Representatives for six online companies including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Roblox, Snap and Twitter, were present to endorse the initiative.

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EARN IT: the US bill that could end all encryption - NS Tech

Senate legislation to protect children from sexual exploitation online is being dragged into a larger fight over privacy and encryption.

The bill in question, the EARN IT Act, which has bipartisan support, would create a government-backed commission to develop "best practices" for dealing with rampant child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

If tech companies do not meet the best practices adopted by Congress, they would be stripped of their legal liability shield, laid out in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, in such cases.

But critics worry that the bill is simply a vehicle to block the tech industry's efforts to implement end-to-end encryption, a feature which makes it impossible for companies or government to access private communications between devices.

They worry the legislation could give government a backdoor to encrypted devices. That concern has been amplified by Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham BarrThe Hill's Morning Report - Trump takes unexpected step to stem coronavirus Hillicon Valley: House passes key surveillance bill | Paul, Lee urge Trump to kill FISA deal | White House seeks help from tech in coronavirus fight | Dem urges Pence to counter virus misinformation House passes key surveillance bill with deadline looming MORE, vocal opponent of encryption, who would head the best practices commission under the legislation.

Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenDemocrats push for paid leave in coronavirus response Congresspours cold water on Trump's payroll tax cut Senate Democrats pan Trump's payroll tax proposal as 'huge mistake' MORE (D-Ore.) has slammed the bill as a "trojan horse to give Attorney General Barr and Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Hill's Morning Report - Trump takes unexpected step to stem coronavirus Democrats start hinting Sanders should drop out Coronavirus disrupts presidential campaigns MORE the power to control online speech and require government access to every aspect of Americans' lives."

But supporters of the bill are pushing back.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamMcConnell, top GOP senators throw support behind surveillance deal as deadline looms Congresspours cold water on Trump's payroll tax cut Kennedy backs online child sexual exploitation bill, proposes back up measure MORE (R-S.C.), a bill co-sponsor, said during a hearing before his committee on Wednesday that the legislation is not about the encryption debate, but the best business practices.

This bill is not about ending encryption, added Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), another co-sponsor, Wednesday. And it is also - Im going to be very blunt here - not about the current attorney general, William Barr.

Blumenthal pointed out that the commission would have 19 members and that 14 votes would be needed to approve a best practice. Among those 19 members would be the attorney general, but also the Department of Homeland Security secretary and the chair of the Federal Trade Commission. The other 16 members would be appointed by the Senate majority leader, Senate minority leader, Speaker of the House and the House minority leader.

That has failed to calm the worries of privacy advocates.

Kathleen Ruane, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Hill that although there are other members on the committee, Barr will have an outsized role. She pointed to language in the bill giving the attorney general final approval power before best practices are sent to Congress.

Blumenthal has said that the attorney general can only reject proposed best practices on the commission, as opposed to pushing any through unilaterally.

Regardless of Barr's role and powers, critics say encryption will come up as the commission debates best practices.

You have law enforcement representatives [on the committee] and this is a huge issue among the law enforcement community... so it's very likely they'll bring it up, said Alan Rozenshtein, associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota and former attorney advisor for the Department of Justice. And then you have victim advocates and to the extent that they believe that encryption is part of the problem or needs to be addressed as part of the problem, they're going to bring it up as well.

"I don't really see a realistic situation in which this does not implicate encryption," he added.

Encryption is not explicitly mentioned in the bill, but that also means nothing stops them from making best practices related to it, said Elizabeth Banker, the deputy general counsel of the Internet Association, a trade association that represents many online companies.

Critics also have broader privacy concerns over the legislation outside of the encryption debate. Ruane said other best practices could pose threats to communication privacy.

One compromise that has been floated is to make it explicit in the legislation that the commission will not make any recommendations about encryption. But Graham has rebuffed that idea.

I'm not going to pre-determine what the right answers are, Graham told reporters Wednesday. Let the commission work.

Other lawmakers have also downplayed any threat to weakening encryption.

I can tell you right now I will not support something that compromises the integrity of encryption for users, because I think that that's hugely significant, Sen. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyGOP senators introduce bill banning TikTok on government devices The Hill's Morning Report Presented by the APTA Now it's Biden vs. Bernie: no endorsement from Warren Schumer, Roberts clash inflames partisan rift over Supreme Court MORE (R-Mo.), one of the 11 bill co-sponsors, told reporters Wednesday.

Hawley accused tech companies of bringing up the issue of encryption to derail the legislation, which will place more responsibility on them to prevent exploitation of children online.

What the tech companies will do is seize at any straw to try to argue that we just can't possibly revise Section 230, he told reporters. Let's not underestimate how rich they've gotten on Section 230.

Blumenthal said at the hearing that some big tech companies are using encryption as a subterfuge to oppose this bill.

There have been changes to the bill from an earlier version leaked in February. That version had only 15 members on the commission and required a lower threshold to approve best practices.

Asked about those changes, Blumenthal told reporters that legislators were listening for constructive suggestions as they drafted the bill.

As lawmakers move to finalize the bill, both sides are digging in.

I am not going to stand on the sidelines any longer, Graham said Wednesday, vowing to push the legislation forward.

Read the original post:
Bill to protect children online ensnared in encryption fight | TheHill - The Hill

ARLINGTON, VA / ACCESSWIRE / March 12, 2020 / Today ECS (ASGN) a leading provider of solutions in science, engineering, and advanced technologies across the public and private sectors, and the QuantaNova division of Cipherloc Corporation (OTCQB:CLOK), a developer of advanced encryption technology, announced a go-to-market partnership making ECS an authorized reseller and delivery partner for Cipherloc's entire 2020 catalog of patented and FIPS 140-2 certified cryptographic solutions.

"With the necessary evolution of security compliance requirements, like the latest DoD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), it's important for organizations to leverage the latest tools and technology to protect their valuable data," said Steve Hittle, senior Vice President and CIO of ECS. "Our partnership with Cipherloc and their next-gen technology will help strengthen ECS' growing capabilities and toolset, as we tackle our customers' complex security needs."

"Working with ECS for sales and delivery is a major step towards more securely protecting the data that U.S. and allied military, national security, and industrial workforces rely on to keep us safe," said Andrew Borene, CEO of Cipherloc and QuantaNova. "This partnership will allow us to get our patented encryption technology to markets more efficiently and better serve customers today, while improving their ability to manage the unknown risks of tomorrow."

This new partnership will enable delivery of QuantaNova's patented and FIPS 140-2 certified, next-generation encryption technology to shared customers across the U.S. and allied defense, federal civilian, and commercial markets. With an eye towards shifting compliance frameworks and the unknown effects of a post-quantum future, these sectors require solutions that strengthen their current cybersecurity postures through the adoption of truly crypto-agile solutions.

Borene added, "With this partnership, we now have a leading federal systems integrator verifying our go-to-market plan, engaged with us as an authorized reseller of our polymorphic encryption technology. Additionally, ECS is a trusted member of the U.S. defense industrial base and aligns with our mission of putting U.S. and allied customers first."

The reseller agreement gives ECS customers access to all of Cipherloc's patented polymorphic encryption technology, as well as the 2020 catalog of CipherLoc's patented and FIPS 140-2 certified cryptographic module solutions.

About ECS

ECS, a segment of ASGN, delivers advanced solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), application and IT modernization, science, and engineering. The company solves critical, complex challenges for customers across the U.S. public sector, defense, intelligence, and commercial industries. ECS maintains partnerships with leading cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/ML providers and holds specialized certifications in their technologies. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, ECS has more than 3,000 employees throughout the United States. For more information, visit ECStech.com

About QuantaNova, a division of Cipherloc Corporation

QuantaNova provides advanced technology and expertise to secure your data and safeguard your privacy with the speed you need today and the agility you'll need tomorrow. Our patented polymorphic encryption technology provides a layer of security that is stronger, adaptable, and scalable across a variety of applications and systems. Learn more at http://www.quantanova.com, and view our FIPS 140-2 certification here.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set forth in the Company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

QuantaNova Contact:

Loren MahlerVP, Communications and External Affairs703-201-1692lmahler@cipherloc.net

Cipherloc Investor Contact:

Matt KrepsDarrow Associates, Investor Relations214-597-8200mkreps@darrowir.com

ECS Contact:

Shab NassirpourVP, Marketing and Communications(443) 745-3433Shab.Nassirpour@ecstech.com

SOURCE: Cipherloc Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/580468/ECS-and-QuantaNova-Announce-Sales-and-Delivery-Partnership-to-Serve-Shared-Customers-with-Polymorphic-Encryption-Products

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ECS and QuantaNova Announce Sales and Delivery Partnership to Serve Shared Customers with Polymorphic Encryption Products - Benzinga

The Objective of the Global Encryption Software Market report is to depict the trends and upcoming for the Encryption Software industry over the forecast years. Encryption Software Market report data has been gathered from industry specialists/experts. Although the market size of the market is studied and predicted from 2019 to 2026 mulling over 2018 as the base year of the market study. Attentiveness for the market has increased in recent decades due to development and improvement in the innovation.

The growing number of data breaches is further boosting the encryption software industry growth, as organizations are focusing on securing the critical data to ensure the privacy of their information. While doing the encryption software market analysis, it is observed that, the targeted attacks on enterprises and their employees are now mainly focused on stealing confidential information from individuals machines or penetrating into networks with the motive of deeper-data thefts.

Thus, adopting encryption technologies are becoming a necessity for the organizations which is driving this market growth. The global encryption software market size is projected to reach $2.66 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 15.0% from 2016 to 2022.

North America is expected to lead the encryption software market share during the forecast period, owing to higher adoption of end-point security solutions among organizations and the prevalence of higher data protection & compliance regulations. However, Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate, due to the growing penetration of cloud computing and increasing workforce mobility.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of,

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Key questions answered in Encryption Software Market research study:

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Major Key Players:

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Encryption Software Market Insights 2020: strong performance driven due to increase of cyberattacks, report - WhaTech Technology and Markets News

The latest research report on the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market published by Verified Market Research provides a profound awareness of the various market dynamics such as Trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities. The report explains in more detail the micro and macroeconomic elements that are expected to influence the growth of the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market over the forecast period (2020-2026).

The Global IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market is growing at a faster pace with substantial growth rates over the last few years and is estimated that the market will grow significantly in the forecasted period i.e. 2019 to 2026.

This study highlights the key indicators of market growth that accompany a comprehensive analysis of this value chain, CAGR development, and Porters Five-Force Analysis. This data can enable readers to understand the quantitative growth parameters of this international industry, which is IoT Security Solution For Encryption.

The report also highlights the opportunities and future scope of the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market on a global and regional level. The study includes a market attractiveness analysis in which the Service is evaluated based on Market Size, Growth Rate and general bioinformatics software industry share.

Segmentation:

The IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market has been divided into several important areas, including applications, types and regions. Each market segment is intensively examined in the report to take into account its market acceptance, value, demand and growth prospects. The segmentation analysis helps the customer to adapt their marketing approach so that they better master each Segment and identify the most potential customer base.

Regional insights into the IoT Security Solution For Encryption market

In terms of Region, this research report covers almost all major regions of the world, such as North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Growth is expected for the regions of Europe and North America in the coming years. While the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market in the regions in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to show remarkable growth in the forecast period. Cutting-edge technology and innovation are the key features of the North America Region, and this is why the US dominates global markets most of the time. The IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market in the South America region is also expected to grow in the near future.

Important questions answered in the report:

What is the main factor that takes this market to the next level?

What will the market demand and what will be growth?

What are the latest opportunities for the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market in the future?

What are the strengths of the main players?

What is the key to the IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market?

The IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market report provides future growth drivers and the competitive landscape. This will be beneficial for buyers of the market report in order to obtain a clear overview of the important growth and subsequent market strategy. The detailed information on the market will help to monitor future profitability and make important decisions for growth.

Ask for Discount @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=170784&utm_source=ME&utm_medium=888

Our study report offers:

Market share analysis for the segments at regional and country level.

Bioinformatics software market share analysis of the best business players.

Strategic proposal for new entrants.

Market forecasts for the next five years of all segments, sub-segments and together of the regional markets.

Market opportunities, Trends, constraints, threats, challenges, drivers, investments, and proposals.

The Strategic Management in key business areas supported the market estimates.

Competitive landscape design that reflects the most important common Trends.

Company identification with careful methods, financial data and previous developments.

Provide chain trends that reflect the most important technological advances of recent times.

The conclusion of the report shows the overall scope of the global IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market in terms of the feasibility of investments in the various market segments, as well as a descriptive Passage describing the feasibility of new projects that could be successful in the market in the near future.

Request Report Customization @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/product/global-iot-security-solution-for-encryption-market-size-forecast/?utm_source=ME&utm_medium=888

If you have special requirements, please let us know that we offer you a report according to your wishes.

About Us:

Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations with the aim of delivering functional expertise. We provide reports for all industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverage and more. These reports deliver an in-depth study of the market with industry analysis, market value for regions and countries and trends that are pertinent to the industry.

Contact Us:

Mr. Steven FernandesMarket Research IntellectNew Jersey ( USA )Tel: +1-650-781-4080

Email: [emailprotected]

TAGS: IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market Size, IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market Growth, IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market Forecast, IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market Analysis, IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market Trends, IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market

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IoT Security Solution For Encryption Market 2020 By Top Key Players/Manufacturers, Type and Application, Regions, Industry Analysis, Growth, Size,...

The latest research report on the Encryption Key Management Software Market published by Verified Market Research provides a profound awareness of the various market dynamics such as Trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities. The report explains in more detail the micro and macroeconomic elements that are expected to influence the growth of the Encryption Key Management Software Market over the forecast period (2020-2026).

The Global Encryption Key Management Software Market is growing at a faster pace with substantial growth rates over the last few years and is estimated that the market will grow significantly in the forecasted period i.e. 2019 to 2026.

This study highlights the key indicators of market growth that accompany a comprehensive analysis of this value chain, CAGR development, and Porters Five-Force Analysis. This data can enable readers to understand the quantitative growth parameters of this international industry, which is Encryption Key Management Software.

The report also highlights the opportunities and future scope of the Encryption Key Management Software Market on a global and regional level. The study includes a market attractiveness analysis in which the Service is evaluated based on Market Size, Growth Rate and general bioinformatics software industry share.

Segmentation:

The Encryption Key Management Software Market has been divided into several important areas, including applications, types and regions. Each market segment is intensively examined in the report to take into account its market acceptance, value, demand and growth prospects. The segmentation analysis helps the customer to adapt their marketing approach so that they better master each Segment and identify the most potential customer base.

Regional insights into the Encryption Key Management Software market

In terms of Region, this research report covers almost all major regions of the world, such as North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Growth is expected for the regions of Europe and North America in the coming years. While the Encryption Key Management Software Market in the regions in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to show remarkable growth in the forecast period. Cutting-edge technology and innovation are the key features of the North America Region, and this is why the US dominates global markets most of the time. The Encryption Key Management Software Market in the South America region is also expected to grow in the near future.

Important questions answered in the report:

What is the main factor that takes this market to the next level?

What will the market demand and what will be growth?

What are the latest opportunities for the Encryption Key Management Software Market in the future?

What are the strengths of the main players?

What is the key to the Encryption Key Management Software Market?

The Encryption Key Management Software Market report provides future growth drivers and the competitive landscape. This will be beneficial for buyers of the market report in order to obtain a clear overview of the important growth and subsequent market strategy. The detailed information on the market will help to monitor future profitability and make important decisions for growth.

Ask for Discount @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=182608&utm_source=ME&utm_medium=888

Our study report offers:

Market share analysis for the segments at regional and country level.

Bioinformatics software market share analysis of the best business players.

Strategic proposal for new entrants.

Market forecasts for the next five years of all segments, sub-segments and together of the regional markets.

Market opportunities, Trends, constraints, threats, challenges, drivers, investments, and proposals.

The Strategic Management in key business areas supported the market estimates.

Competitive landscape design that reflects the most important common Trends.

Company identification with careful methods, financial data and previous developments.

Provide chain trends that reflect the most important technological advances of recent times.

The conclusion of the report shows the overall scope of the global Encryption Key Management Software Market in terms of the feasibility of investments in the various market segments, as well as a descriptive Passage describing the feasibility of new projects that could be successful in the market in the near future.

Request Report Customization @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/product/global-encryption-key-management-software-market-size-forecast/?utm_source=ME&utm_medium=888

If you have special requirements, please let us know that we offer you a report according to your wishes.

About Us:

Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations with the aim of delivering functional expertise. We provide reports for all industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverage and more. These reports deliver an in-depth study of the market with industry analysis, market value for regions and countries and trends that are pertinent to the industry.

Contact Us:

Mr. Steven FernandesMarket Research IntellectNew Jersey ( USA )Tel: +1-650-781-4080

Email: [emailprotected]

TAGS: Encryption Key Management Software Market Size, Encryption Key Management Software Market Growth, Encryption Key Management Software Market Forecast, Encryption Key Management Software Market Analysis, Encryption Key Management Software Market Trends, Encryption Key Management Software Market

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Encryption Key Management Software Market 2020 By Top Key Players/Manufacturers, Type and Application, Regions, Industry Analysis, Growth, Size,...