TechCrunch reports that Florida state senators will soon vote on draft legislation that would impose the creation of encryption backdoors for law enforcement in social media platforms following its unanimous approval by the state's Senate Rules Committee.
Lawmakers' advancement of the "Social Media Use by Minors" bill which would also require social media firms to provide parental or guardian access on children's social media accounts and restrict message disappearance functionality on such accounts comes after it was denounced by tech and industry organizations, which noted the significant data breach risks that could arise from weaker encryption practices. "The idea that Florida can 'protect' minors by making them less safe is dangerous and dumb," said the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a blog post, which emphasized encryption as the "best tool" for ensuring the security of online communications. Such a development follows Florida's passage of state law allowing social media use for individuals ages 16 and above, which has been on hold amid court scrutiny.
Lawmakers' advancement of the "Social Media Use by Minors" bill which would also require social media firms to provide parental or guardian access on children's social media accounts and restrict message disappearance functionality on such accounts comes after it was denounced by tech and industry organizations, which noted the significant data breach risks that could arise from weaker encryption practices. "The idea that Florida can 'protect' minors by making them less safe is dangerous and dumb," said the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a blog post, which emphasized encryption as the "best tool" for ensuring the security of online communications. Such a development follows Florida's passage of state law allowing social media use for individuals ages 16 and above, which has been on hold amid court scrutiny.
