John Conyers Suggests FBI Is Taking Advantage of San Bernardino Tragedy to Push Agenda

[marmar]

(The Intercept) A leading House Democrat expressed serious concern on Tuesday that the FBI is exploiting the ISIS-inspired massacre of 14 people in San Bernardino to sidestep Congress on the encryption debate.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said it was troubling “that in the middle of an ongoing congressional debate on this subject, the FBI would ask a federal magistrate to give them the special access to secure products that this committee, this Congress, and the administration have so far refused to provide.” He spoke at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, of which he is the ranking Democratic member.

“Why has the government taken this step and forced this issue?” he asked.

It was a rhetorical question.

“I suspect that part of the answer lies in an email obtained by the Washington Post and reported to the public last September,” Conyers said.

“In it, a senior lawyer in the intelligence community writes that ‘although the legislative environment towards encryption is very hostile today … it could turn in the event of a terrorist attack or criminal event where strong encryption can be shown to have hindered law enforcement.’” ........................(more)

https://theintercept.com/2016/03/01/congressman-suggests-fbi-is-taking-advantage-of-san-bernardino-tragedy-to-push-agenda/

[IDemo]

1. FBI director backtracks, says iPhone hacking case would set a legal precedent

When FBI director James Comey authored a blog post on the agency’s current legal battle with Apple, he made a point of emphasizing that the FBI was in no way seeking a master key that would grant it access to every iPhone on the planet.

On the contrary, Comey attempted to frame the issue as a unique event that wouldn’t necessarily have far-reaching implications in the future.

“The particular legal issue is actually quite narrow,” Comey explained. “The relief we seek is limited and its value increasingly obsolete because the technology continues to evolve. We simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try to guess the terrorist’s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That’s it.”

If that’s all the FBI truly wanted and would ever want, it might sound reasonable at first glance. But while testifying before Congress earlier this afternoon, Comey was singing something of a different tune.

http://bgr.com/2016/03/01/fbi-vs-apple-james-comey-iphone-hacking-precedent/

[proverbialwisdom]

2. Very worthwhile.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?405442-1/hearing-encryption-federal-investigations

[2naSalit]

3. Makes me wonder if they really

haven't been able to access info on that particular phone, they do lie to get their way, it's what it's all about these days. Didn't get your way? Lie to change that, it's okay after all since everybody does it.

[7wo7rees]

4. Conyers is useless. He talks big and then disappears. Huge disappointment.

Career politician.

[OnyxCollie]

5. No shit, John.

Why don't you write a sternly worded letter?