With the world focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, two U.S. senators are quietly trying to pass a bill through Congress that could level a significant blow to online privacy and security.
The so-called EARN IT bill, sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is ostensibly meant to combat the exploitation of children online. But to achieve this, the bill would create a list of “best practices” for internet platforms. A failure to adhere to those “best practices” would open a platform to legal action by the government.
The “best practices” list would be created by a 19-person government commission, controlled by the U.S. attorney general. William Barr, the current attorney general, has articulated a desire to ban end-to-end encryption of digital messages and guarantee law enforcement “legal access” to these messages. The EARN IT bill would allow Mr. Barr to achieve these aims, as the bill would strong-arm online platforms into complying with government policies that compromise security and privacy.
If the EARN IT bill is passed, the repercussions would be vast. Government snooping of digital messages would be made essentially legal. Any platform that does not comply with the government’s “best practices” would be subject to legal action. Many platforms would likely submit to the requests, though, and government software could then be used to read through every message sent across those digital channels.
Under the best of circumstances, the EARN IT bill would be an affront to cybersecurity, privacy and civil liberties. That Mr. Graham and Mr. Blumenthal are attempting to usher this bill through Congress in the midst of a national emergency, when the attention of the media and the general public has been drawn elsewhere, only makes their efforts that much more despicable.
The Senate should put an end to the EARN IT bill now so that it can focus on important legislation that does not adversely affect the liberty of American citizens.
First Published: April 27, 2020, 10:15 a.m.