Bills threaten encrypted platforms used by journalists

Frank Duenzl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Journalists rely on strong encryption to protect confidential sources and newsgathering materials.
Journalists use encrypted services to keep information secure and private.
But lawmakers are increasingly attacking encryption. Bills that would require backdoors so law enforcement can access encrypted communications or that would discourage online services from offering strong encryption could have dire impacts on journalists and sources.
Encryption is under threat. We must defend it.
The backlash from privacy and human rights advocates to Apple's new plan this month for scanning photos on user devices to detect known child sexual abuse images has been loud and nearly unanimous. The tech raises press freedom problems, too.
“Onion services,” a technology offered by Tor to ensure users can securely and privately visit particular websites, can provide a major step forward for readers who rely on the Tor network for its privacy and censorship-resistance properties.
The full Senate is expected to vote on the controversial EARN IT Act in the coming days, after unanimous approval from the Judiciary Committee on July 2. EARN IT would open the door to criminalizing encryption protections and increase censorship online, posing a significant threat to press freedom and whistleblowers.
Despite online privacy concerns at an all-time high, the Senate rejected a critical reform to the Patriot Act yesterday, voting to hand the Trump administration and Attorney General William Barr the ability to spy on Americans’ web browsing habits without a warrant.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned yesterday, apparently at the request of President Donald Trump. During his two years in office, Sessions has used the power of the Justice Department to lead a crackdown on civil liberties and press freedom. As the ACLU remarked, Sessions “was the worst attorney general in modern American history."
The Australian government is considering legislation that would endanger source protection, confidential reporting processes, and the privacy of everyone in an ill-conceived effort to grant law enforcement easier access to electronic communications.Freedom of the Press Foundation has joined a group of digital rights organizations in calling for the Australian …
Five years ago today, the first story based on the Snowden revelations exposing the NSA's mass surveillance regime was published. In the years that have followed, Snowden's disclosures have transformed the national and international conversation about privacy in our digital lives.
You've read the post-mortmems on #efail. How can we, as digital security trainers, unpack the vulnerability for more evergreen advice?
For over a year now, Secure The News has automatically monitored the HTTPS encryption practices at more than 100 major news sites around the world. Well-configured HTTPS encryption can protect reader privacy, enhance site security, and make important reporting harder to censor or manipulate.
HTTPS protects reader privacy, security, and prevents censorship. We're tracking its adoption.