Several large American tech companies including Apple and Google, and encryption experts have asked president Obama to not pass legislation in which backdoors in encryption software are required.
Besides 140 tech companies and several encryption experts also civil rights organisations have signed the letter. The parties call for the White House to respect the privacy of internet users when making new legislation that would require installing backdoors in encryption software. In particular secret services and law enforcement agencies have asked the White House to adapt the law so that they can always gain access to encrypted data traffic. According to them, this is necessary because more and more communication is encrypted.
The letter writers state that strong encryption is the 'cornerstone' of the modern information economy. The installation of backdoors in encryption software is too risky, according to them, because these can be exploited by foreign parties and hackers.
Three members of a five-person advisory committee that was established in 2013 by the US president also signed the letter. After revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden they had to investigate he government policy on information technology. According to the commission, the US government should not deliberately weaken encryption standards but rather actively support further development.
