Apple, FBI to testify in House encryption hearing

Representatives from both Apple and the FBI will be testifying at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the ongoing encryption debate next week.

Amy Hess, executive assistant director for science and technology at the FBI, will speak on the first of two panels, which also includes the intelligence bureau chief of the New York Police Department and a member of the National Sheriff’s Association.

Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell will speak on the second panel, which also features several computer science academics and security professionals.

{mosads}The Facebook-owned encrypted messaging app WhatsApp declined to testify, according to a spokesperson for the companies.

The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, comes the week after Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released a contentious encryption bill that would give law enforcement greater access to locked data — a response to concerns that criminals are increasingly using encrypted technology to hide from authorities.

Earlier this month, the FBI backed away from a controversial case against the tech giant that has been seen as exemplifying the so-called going dark debate, when suspected terrorists use encrypted communication to hide from surveillance.

Apple had rebuffed an FBI court order directing the firm to create software that would allow investigators to access data on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The government eventually dropped the case after finding a way to hack the phone without Apple’s help.

Security professionals and privacy advocates have largely condemned both the FBI and the Burr-Feinstein effort, arguing that introducing any guaranteed access for law enforcement would undermine security and privacy for everyday users.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has vowed to filibuster the Intelligence Committee offering.

“This legislation would effectively prohibit Americans from protecting themselves as much as possible,” Wyden said Wednesday. “It would outlaw the strongest types of encryption and undermine the foundation of cybersecurity for millions of Americans.”