richardburrNorth Carolina Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is working on legislation that would penalize companies that don't comply with court orders to unlock encrypted devices, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move comes a day after Apple announced that it would oppose an order to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5c.

The bill could reportedly be written in way that modifies the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which compelled communications companies to build their systems in a way that would allow them to comply with court orders.

Mr. Burr hasn’t finalized plans for how legislation would be designed, and several people familiar with the process said there hasn’t been an agreement among any other lawmakers to pursue criminal penalties. It’s also unclear whether Mr. Burr could marshal bipartisan support on such an issue during an election year that has divided Washington in recent months.

For the past several months, Burr has been pressuring technology companies to work closely with law enforcement to prevent encrypted devices and services from being used to plan and execute crimes, going as far as telling some that they needed to consider changing their business model. He's also claimed that district attorneys have complained to him about encryption as they are "beginning to get to a situation where they can't prosecute cases."

Apple CEO Tim Cook has continually maintained that unlocking any device, or creating any type of backdoor, would weaken encryption across the board and allow both bad guys and good guys to access users' personal data.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

JimmyHook Avatar
123 months ago
Well, when the contents of his family's iPhones are dumped on the internet he would think twice about his stance. Once the door is open, hackers would be able to target anyone. Nobody can deny that with a straight face
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nunyabinez Avatar
123 months ago
OMG, how did anyone get convicted before there were phones to scrape data from? If the difference between convicting someone and not convicting them requires data from their phone, then it sounds to me like a pretty weak case that has the high potential for being wrong. Unless criminals are taking selfies of their crimes in progress.

What happened to fingerprints and witnesses and all the other stuff? Sounds like to me that we have a bunch of lazy prosecutors who want Apple to do their job for them.

This is all a smoke screen for the fact that they want to spy on the populous and they're using "because crime" to do it.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
123 months ago
Stupid says what?

He's 'bought and paid for'. Must be a spokesperson for military industrial complex corporations...

Nice huh...

"Mr. Burr hasn't finalized plans for how legislation would be designed"

So the 'designs' weren't pushed under his door in a plain brown envelope, with a wad of cash, yet?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lancetx Avatar
123 months ago
Regardless of their party (and there are plenty on both sides), those that back this legislation will find themselves squarely on the wrong side of history.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThunderSkunk Avatar
123 months ago
It's nice to see some idealism has still survived, blaming one or the other party, but both the political parties that have wrangled the stranglehold on power in this country have, at every opportunity since their creation, expressed and honed their love for total power & wealth schemes, broad unconstitutional trampling of civil liberties, aggression and assaults on the public, unlimited access and control over their opponents and citizens lives, and their penchant for authoritarianism (but don't call it that) all blamed on bogeyman of the hour.

You can imagine that we deserve it, due to the army of inept "people persons!" we vote for, but the parties and their monied interests and electoral royalty determine who you will vote for, long before the people of the country get to vote. There is no alternative available on offer. No marketplace of ideas. There is a script, and the parties ensure the nation sticks to it. Calling the U.S. in any way a representative democracy at this point is so unrealistic it's absurd. The U.S. is a nation of two parties, each of which wishes it were a one party state, as long as they're the party, and both parties behave like it.

Voting for a handful of kings once every 4 years who have no competency in the matters they're tasked with voting on (the 1/3 of the time they show up to their jobs to vote at all) doesn't "represent" anyone, but the (in both parties) most conservative party brass and the contributor who coughed up the $ to write & promote the bill. Not the interest of the people, or the nation. Legalizing this corruption doesn't make it not corrupt.

The U.S. has no system for rational constructive decision-making in its leadership, and a few hundred million preventing there from being one created.

Using 9/11 and 'tersts as an excuse to enact emergency powers to create the Patriot Act crushing the constitution, and then blaming Democrats when you notice your 4th amendment rights have been shredded, is just as absurd as blaming Republicans for creating the patriot act when the Obama admin then grabbed it from Bush, and instead of righting the wrong, turned around and used it to its maximum potential. We're far, faaar beyond simple, single-sided blame solving any of these problems at this point.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FrankieTDouglas Avatar
123 months ago
No mention that Burr is an R.
R = reverse
The battle against encryption is bipartisan. If you like finding different letters of the alphabet, look up the recent New York or California proposals and who pushed those.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...