U.S. lawmakers are skeptical of an FBI request for Congress to mandate encryption workarounds in smartphones, with critics saying Wednesday that back doors would create new vulnerabilities that bad guys can exploit.

It’s currently impossible for smartphone makers to build in back doors that allow law enforcement agencies access to encrypted communications but also keep out cybercriminals, witnesses and lawmakers said during a hearing before the IT subcommittee of the House of Representatives’ Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Law enforcement representatives called on lawmakers to find a way to allow access to encrypted data as a way to prevent serious crime. Late last year, FBI Director James Comey called for a public debate on encryption after Apple and Google announced they would offer new encryption tools on their smartphone OSes.

But most lawmakers questioned the need for encryption workarounds. Building in back doors for encryption on smartphones would be “technologically stupid,” said Representative Ted Lieu, a California Democrat with a background in computer science. Apple and Google have responded to public demand for encryption because of an “out-of-control surveillance state,” he added.

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http://www.pcworld.com/article/2916912/lawmakers-criticize-fbis-request-for-encryption-back-doors.html

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