WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) recently introduced the #ProtectOurDevices Act.
“The FBI’s recent attempt to interpret a 1789 law as granting them the power to compel a company to fundamentally undermine their product shocked privacy and intellectual property advocates across our nation. Contrary to the FBI’s assertion, should they get their way, the safety and security of everyday Americans’ data will be compromised. We cannot allow this to happen. The Protect Our Devices Act would make it utterly clear that a 1789 law does not grant the judiciary the authority to coerce companies into hacking their own products. America is better than that.”
Currently, the Justice Department is relying on an unprecedented reading of federal law in an attempt to compel a private company to undermine their proprietary encryption and jeopardize the privacy of their customers. The precedent set in this case has a host of implications including a reinterpretation of Americans’ constitutional guarantees to security in their persons, places, and effects. This bill would clarify that the text of the All Writs Act, originally passed as part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, does not apply to encryption.
