Newsy Tech's video: Are Lawmakers Coming Around On Encryption - Newsy

Transcript: U.S. lawmakers are using the Brussels attacks to condemn encryption. In his statement on Brussels, Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said: "We do not know yet what role, if any, encrypted communications played in these attacks. But we can be sure that terrorists will continue to use what they perceive to be the most secure means to plot their attacks." Sen. Dianne Feinstein, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, "We must use all the tools at our disposal to fight back." Stop us if this sounds like the Paris alarmism all over again. "According to counterterrorism and intelligence officials, there's evidence they used encryption," said CNN's Brian Todd. Even as recently as this month, The New York Times was emphasizing anonymous eyewitness reports that the attackers in Paris were using unfamiliar computer programs. Fast-forward to today, and Sen. Feinstein is helping author a bill that would let the government impose civil penalties on tech companies that resist decryption orders in the way Apple is fighting the FBI right now. And President Obama is urging nonspecific compromise on encryption. "If, technologically, it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system, where the encryption is so strong that there's no key, or door, at all … how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?" Obama asked. It sounds bad for privacy advocates, but some progress is being made on Capitol Hill. This week, lawmakers announced a bipartisan working group to find encryption solutions that give law enforcement what it needs without damaging technology companies "or the privacy and security that encryption provides for U.S. citizens." And some former anti-crypto hawks are coming around, like Sen. Lindsey Graham. "I thought it was that simple. I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the intel community. I will say that I'm a person that's been moved by the arguments about the precedent we set and the damage we might be doing to our own national security," Graham said. And then there's the FBI, which hit pause on its case with Apple because it might have found a way into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters without making Apple do it. So, to answer the question from earlier: Yeah, they're learning a bit. And slowly. Yes, encryption is complicated. But it's also critical to the security of pretty much everyone's daily lives online. The precedent Apple's case could set will influence a lot more than just one smartphone. Sources: Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/516967114 The Hill http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/273858-house-intel-dem-unclear-if-encryption-helped-brussels-bombers Office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D8398A5B-E1B4-47FF-BF8A-33E02C6392D1 Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/481484784 Newsy http://www.newsy.com/videos/paris-perfect-excuse-to-push-for-more-surveillance-powers/ NBC http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-terror-attacks/isis-has-help-desk-terrorists-staffed-around-clock-n464391 CNN http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/11/17/isis-encrypted-communication-paris-attacks-todd-dnt-tsr.cnn The New York Times http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/world/europe/a-view-of-isiss-evolution-in-new-details-of-paris-attacks.html?smid=tw-share&referer=&_r=0 Newsy http://www.newsy.com/videos/some-lawmakers-want-to-punish-tech-firms-that-defy-decryption-orders/ Newsy http://www.newsy.com/videos/apple-shouldn-t-walk-away-from-its-encryption-battle-with-the-fbi/ Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/460265524 Newsy http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama-tells-sxsw-don-t-be-absolutist-on-encryption/ South By Southwest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfsIZioIpdI Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/170441490 The Hill http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/273796-house-establishes-encryption-working-group Office of Senator Lindsey Graham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk4hYAwCdhU Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/500584662 Twitter https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/712067602835759104 Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/517061764 ------------------------------------- Newsy is your source for concise, unbiased video news and analysis covering the top stories from around the world. With persistent curiosity and no agenda, we strive to fuel meaningful conversations by highlighting multiple sides of every story. Newsy delivers the news and perspective you need without the hype and bias common to many news sources. See more at http://www.newsy.com/ Like Newsy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/newsyvideos/