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"DannyB" writes:

DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

While this is quasi related to the recent Zoom article [soylentnews.org] on SN, this is mostly about attempting to outlaw End To End Encryption.

From TechDirt:
Senator Blumenthal Is Super Mad That Zoom Isn't Actually Offering The End To End Encryption His Law Will Outlaw [techdirt.com]

Richard Blumenthal has been attacking internet services he doesn't understand since before [techdirt.com] he was even a US Senator. It has carried over into his job as a Senator, and was abundantly obvious in his role as a co-sponsor for FOSTA. His hatred of the internet was on clear display during a hearing over FOSTA in which he flat out said that if smaller internet companies couldn't put in place the kind of infrastructure required to comply with FOSTA, that they should go out of business. [techdirt.com] Blumenthal's latest ridiculous bit of legislation lose your Section 230 protections. [techdirt.com] And while Blumenthal likes to pretend [techdirt.com] that the EARN IT Act doesn't target encryption, he also lied about FOSTA [techdirt.com] and insisted it had no impact on CDA 230 (which it directly amended).

But Blumenthal has now taken his ridiculousness up a notch. Following the (legitimately concerning) reports that the suddenly incredibly popular videoconferencing software Zoom was not actually providing end-to-end encrypted video chats [techdirt.com] (despite its marketing claims), Blumenthal decided to step in and play the hero sending an angry letter to the company, [twitter.com] while linking to the Intercept's original story about Zoom's misleading claims about encryption:

Millions of Americans are now using @zoom_us [twitter.com] to attend school, seek medical help, & socialize with their friends. Privacy & cybersecurity risks shouldn't be added to their list of worries. I'm calling for answers from Zoom on how it handles our private data. https://t.co/CEg1P3T3S1 [t.co] pic.twitter.com/Vl9XyvxZjb [t.co]

        — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 31, 2020 [twitter.com]

So outlaw end to end encryption. When a company pretends to offer end to end encryption, but actually doesn't, then feign outrage over the lack of privacy; the privacy you want to deny everyone with your own legislation.

Are you confused yet?

Original Submission