The Electronic Borderland Foundation (EFF) is attempting to alert the public to a beak that seeks to terminate the encryption of online messages and preclude it from existence enacted past the United States Congress.

The so-chosen EARN It neb proposes that digital messages should first pass through government-approved scanning software in society to monitor for malicious criminal activeness. The bill is sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal.

Blockchain as a measure confronting government surveillance

The bill's disregard for privacy presents an open-ended utilize example for technology like blockchain. By offering transparency and traceability alongside security, blockchain-based communications may exist a way to avoid governmental prying.

An instance is blockchain's apply by journalists and activists to circumnavigate censorship measures past governments worldwide.

As Cointelegraph previously reported, Sarah Zheng, a journalist for the South China Morning Mail, had leaned on the Ethereum blockchain to publish a censored interview with a Wuhan dr. who alerted the public about the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Zheng, blockchain fabricated it possible to encrypt the information with QR codes, morse lawmaking, and deliberate typos it could exist shared on social networks. The original piece could not exist disseminated via WeChat.

Specifics of the EARN It nib

The EARN Information technology bill features a serial of "best practices" that online entities would be expected to follow. The EFF claims that Section 230 protections would be withdrawn from any website which fails to uphold these guidelines. If enacted, this list will exist created by a government commission led by the U.S. Attorney General, William Barr.

The foundation says Barr has made information technology clear he would fully ban the encryption of all digital messages. If this bill is passed, information technology would give constabulary enforcement legal admission to any communications sent betwixt individuals online. The EFF clarifies the following about Barr'south influence on the nib:

"Not only volition those groups have a majority of votes on the commission, but the nib gives Attorney Full general Barr the power to veto or approve the list of best practices. Even if other commission members exercise disagree with law enforcement, Barr'south veto power will put him in a position to strongarm them."

Propaganda against encryption?

Although Senator Blumenthal correctly notes that the word "encryption" has not been included anywhere in the neb, the EFF maintains that the proposal is an "all-out assault" on encryption.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation adds the following regarding the EARN IT bill:

"Yous can't accept an Cyberspace where letters are screened en masse, and as well have end-to-stop encryption any more than than you tin can create backdoors that can only be used by the good guys."