Data privacy may encounter threat as US Costs targets online kid sex abuse
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A bill aimed at curbing online child sex abuse is pitting the government against the tech sector.
Unveiling the bipartisan evaluate Thursday, US senators said they aimed to curb images of child sex misuse by forcing tech systems to cooperate with police on encryption or associated risk sacrificing the legal immunity for what is posted on the websites.
Digital rights activists argue that the costs is an indirect way to weaken on the net encryption in the brand of better police access.
The bill “would give government officials unprecedented powers to craft de facto regulations for online speech,” said Emma Llanso of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organisation.
“Online service providers would probably err privately of caution and remove anything-including a lot of lawful, constitutionally protected speech.”
Civil legal rights advocates warn that any “backdoor” access could possibly be exploited by code hackers and authoritarian governments.
Lawmakers mention the bill-Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Systems Act (EARN It again) -- allows corporations to “earn” their liability protection, by gaining recognition of compliance by a good commission of government, industry, legal and victim group representatives.
A hearing is defined for Wednesday on the measure, which is backed by victims’ rights corporations, which say that existing laws and regulations protecting systems such as social media companies from liability for user-posted articles have allowed kid pornography and photos of exploitation to proliferate.
Critics say the bill, if enacted, could bring about draconian internet regulation.
“You shouldn’t have to get a pass from a commission of police agencies just to set up a website,” said Joe Mullin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
“That’s the kind of system we would hear about under an authoritarian regime.”
Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association, a good trade group including hundreds of online businesses, said the bill “creates the false choice between child protection and internet safety.”
Shapiro said in a good blog post that the proposed law would not stop the use of encryption but “penalize American businesses by forcing those interested in secure communication to move their business to offshore businesses not governed by US regulation.”
The full implications of the bill remain unclear because standards will be set by a commission that might be created by lawmakers. The panel could call for rigid bans on encrypted applications or verification of the identification of most internet users, for instance.
Source: https://www.deccanchronicle.com