« Strong encryption is the cornerstone of the modern information economy’s security, » the companies wrote in the letter, which was delivered Tuesday morning. The letter was first reported by the Washington Post.
Apple(AAPL, Tech30) made waves last year when it encrypted customers’ iPhones, making law enforcement’s task of obtaining the data on a suspect’s iPhone more arduous. An iPhone’s password is the only thing that can break the encryption, meaning that even if police have a warrant, they still need to enter the passcode to find out what’s on the phone.
Google(GOOGL, Tech30) allows customers to encrypt their Android phones, but it has not followed through with its promise to encrypt Android devices by default. But Google is among many companies that have recently begun encrypting customers’ online communications, including email.
The Obama administration has complained loudly about tech companies’ encryption policies, arguing that they serve an obstacle to tracking down terrorists and other criminals, including pedophiles. The FBI has pushed tech companies to create back doors in their software, giving law enforcement a way to bypass the encryption.
But, in the letter to Obama, tech companies, policy experts and civil rights organizations asked the president not to support any bill that would hand law enforcement a master key to customers’ communications.