Statist North Carolina Republican senator Richard Burr, together with statist California Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein, are conspiring to make a law that would force tech
companies to assist law enforcement agencies in breaking into encrypted electronic devices belonging to
suspected criminals or terrorists.
You see, the hallmark of statism is using
force to accomplish political ends and statists aren’t the least bit shy about
doing so by violating the United States Constitution. Privacy advocates are criticizing the
measure as a grave threat to consumer privacy, and it surely is all of that,
but it is also a grave threat to the constitutional rights of business owners.
The statists are claiming the authority over all
individuals that they may not rely upon digital encryption technology to
protect their personal privacy and secrets. At the same time, the statists are
claiming the authority to enslave business owners to the whims and dictates of
the government in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment.
If statists can force businesses to serve them
against the interests of their customers then we are all in danger of losing
our liberty. If statists can force businesses and individuals to do things
against their own interests then they can force us to do anything against our
will. The Bill of Rights would be nullified.
"The proposed policy is misguided and
will ultimately lead to increased insecurity rather than increased
security," Dean Garfield, CEO of the Information Technology Industry
Council, said Friday. "This bill is a clear threat to everyone's
privacy and security," declared a spokesperson with the American Civil
Liberties Union.
The statists contend that since terrorists and
criminals are increasingly relying on encrypted electronic devices to hide from
authorities the government must have some recourse with which to defeat
encryption. But free individuals are entitled to encryption. We are entitled to
keep our secrets.
The statists do not enjoy authority to access
our secrets by force.
But ... but ... they're "open to the public!" Up until now, you've held that this requires businesses to become slaves on demand to anyone who walks through the door. What changed?
ReplyDeleteHahahaha… I knew I would get this response from you, my friend, and you didn’t disappoint.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Tech companies are “open to the public” and are therefore rightly bound by the civil rights laws. They can’t discriminate against gays or blacks when selling and servicing their products. But if a gay customer demands that Apple furnish the means to decrypt his partner’s iPhone so he can find out if he’s being cheated on, Apple can say no, we won’t do that for anyone, were not in business to do that. A bakery can’t discriminate either but if a gay person demands that it provide a service that it doesn’t provide and isn’t available to other customers, that baker can say no. So nothing has changed, Tom.
OK, just checking. I have high hopes that you will eventually abandon your support for slavery.
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