Ride the Lightning

Senators Have Re-introduced the EARN IT Act, Which Would Allow Massive Surveillance

February 8, 2022

The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported on February 3 that a group of lawmakers led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have re-introduced the EARN IT Act, an extremely unpopular bill from 2020 that was dropped in the face of overwhelming opposition.

The new EARN IT Act would create a massive new surveillance system, run by private companies, that would destroy some of the most important privacy and security features in technology used by people around the world. It would allow for private actors to scan every message sent online and report violations to law enforcement. Worse, it might not stop there. The EARN IT Act could ensure that anything hosted online—backups, websites, cloud photos, and more—is scanned.

This is a bad, terrible, truly awful idea. You can read the bill and give feedback to your Senators at https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3538.

Hat tip to Dave Ries.

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225, Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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