NEW YORK (AP) — Calling it an issue of victims' rights, the Manhattan district attorney says it's crucial that Congress pass legislation requiring tech companies to give law enforcement a way to access information on encrypted phones and other devices.
Cyrus Vance Jr. says that while federal law enforcement tends to focus on the national security implications of locked phones, the ramifications go far beyond that. Vance said his office currently has 230 locked phones involved in cases.
But tech companies such as Apple and Google say that creating so-called "back doors" that could be used to break phones would undermine security for everyone.
Vance spoke Monday just ahead of a hearing on encryption before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. Attorneys for Apple and law enforcement are expected to testify.