Washington — The Computer & Communications Industry Association joined civil liberties groups, industry associations, companies, and security professionals in a joint statement to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly today opposing plans to collect passwords and social media profiles of those seeking to enter the country. The letter points to experts who say the such demands will not improve security and warns instead of the dangers to civil liberties, economic security, and cybersecurity if such a policy were enacted.
CCIA has advocated for surveillance, encryption and privacy policies that protect user privacy and cybersecurity. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“Setting up a system where the government routinely asks travelers, visa applicants, or refugees for online passwords is unprecedented and unwarranted. Demanding applicants’ passwords and social media information would create a chilling effect on those trying to get to the U.S. to work or escape unsafe conditions, in addition to causing reciprocal demands of Americans traveling abroad. Our borders ought to reflect the Constitutional protections that make the U.S. a place people want to come. There are better ideas that would fulfill the mutual goals of protecting peoples’ security and privacy.”
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