Fla. Senate Panel Supports Decrypting Kids' Social Media Posts
A panel of Florida senators supported requiring decryption of young users’ social media messages during law enforcement investigations. At a livestreamed hearing Tuesday, the state’s Senate Commerce Committee voted 7-2 to clear an amended SB-868.
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"Encryption used by social media companies makes it more challenging for law enforcement to retrieve the proof necessary to put these guys behind bars,” said sponsor Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R). “The amendment requires social media companies to provide a mechanism to decrypt end-to-end encryption that restricts law enforcement investigations when a subpoena is issued. It also allows a parent or legal guardian of a minor to view all messages, and finally, prohibits a minor account holder from using messages that are designed to disappear.”
Sen. Carlos Smith (D) raised free-speech and privacy concerns despite agreeing it’s important to stop criminals from targeting minors. "Yes, we want to protect them from harm. But minors also ... have First Amendment rights and privacy rights as well."
The Taxpayers Protection Alliance also raised concerns. “Strong unbroken encryption ... is indispensible to users' privacy,” said David McGarry, research director.