Overnight Tech: Senators spar over WhatsApp encryption

LEDE: Senators were quick to weigh in on WhatsApp on Wednesday after the company turned on end-to-end encryption for all its users.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) was outraged by the move, saying that “the WhatsApp and Facebook decision to add end-to-end encryption to all of WhatsApp’s services with no secure method to comply with valid search warrants continues a dangerous trend in the tech and data world.”

{mosads}”We cannot allow companies to purposefully design applications that make it impossible to comply with court orders,” he continued.

“I strongly urge WhatsApp and Facebook to reevaluate their decision before they help facilitate another terrorist attack.

But Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) defended the company in his own letter. “This is a significant step to strengthen online security for millions of people worldwide,” Wyden said. “While some continue to spread fear about modern technology, the fact is strong encryption is essential to Americans’ individual security.”

The Facebook-owned messaging app announced on Tuesday that it was making end-to-end encryption the default for messages sent on the platform. A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on the record about Cotton’s statement.

Click here for more on Cotton’s remarks.

Click here for more on Wyden’s defense of WhatsApp.

HOW TO LIMIT CONTRABAND CELLPHONES IN PRISONS: Republican FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley held a field hearing Tuesday to highlight prison inmates use of contraband cellphones and what the government should be doing to help prevent it. Pai cited a number of instances in which contraband cellphones were used to commit further crimes from prison. He said a number of regulatory reforms at the FCC could help allow wireless carriers to work with prisons to deactivate those phones within prison walls.

Click here for Pai’s remarks at the hearing.

Click here for testimony from others.

FTC ENFORCEMENT STATS AGAINST TECH INDUSTRY: About 7 percent of the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement action in the past five years has been centered on companies in the technology industry, according to highlights released Wednesday. That pales in comparison to the 50 percent of action directed at the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industries. The manufacturing and chemicals industries take up about 22 percent of FTC enforcement action, while retail goods and services take up the remaining 16 percent.

OBAMA TO SAN FRANCISCO: President Obama will be in San Francisco on Friday to attend two events for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He was last in Silicon Valley for fundraisers in February. The president will make the trip after attending similar events in Los Angeles.

REDDIT ADDS A BLOCK FEATURE: Reddit, long accused of not doing enough about harassment, introduced a block button for users on Wednesday. Blocking another user means that you will no longer see their responses to posts or anything else associated with their accounts. The feature can be used on users who reply to your comments or threads. “Our changes to user blocking are intended to let you decide what your boundaries are, and to give you the option to choose what you want–or don’t want–to be exposed to,” the company said in its announcement. “These are just our first steps toward improving the experience of using Reddit, and we’re looking forward to announcing many more.” The addition to the feature was first reported by the New York Times’ Mike Isaac.

THREE BILLS ADDED TO TECH SUBCOMMITTEE MARKUP: Three more bills will be marked up by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology next Wednesday. Details here.

‘SPIES IN THE SKY’: Buzzfeed put together a huge database tracking the flights of about 200 government aircraft circling over major cities between August and December of last year. The information was put into an easy to read map, allowing you to search a specific location to see if and when surveillance flights took place in that area.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is slamming messaging platform WhatsApp for turning on end-to-end encryption for all of its users.

More than $1,300 in video game purchases logged on Rep. Duncan Hunter’s campaign expense report are being blamed on a billing dispute.

Google is using the excitement surrounding the 2016 election to seek a foothold in the political polling industry.

President Obama will be the star attraction at two fundraisers in Los Angeles this week that are intended to raise money for Democrats hoping to win back the House and the Senate this fall.

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