Privacy experts warn that the EARN IT Act is yet another a thinly-veiled attempt by government officials to kill encryption. Why is this so bad? As Senator Ron Wyden explains, "You can't only build a backdoor for the good guys ... Once you weaken encryption with a backdoor, you make it far easier for criminals and hackers and predators to get into your digital life."

And that's exactly what's happened when our government has inserted backdoors into encrypted services before: malicious hackers have gained access to communication systems, power grids, and even nuclear facilities. Even worse, when criminals and authoritarian governments know that platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are not safe for them to use, they simply turn to less regulated alternatives. For all these reasons and more, many current and former security officials support making encryption stronger, not weaker.

But DOJ officials have shrugged off these legitimate concerns, defending their dangerous intentions with a pattern of lies and untruths that ignore the risks of breaking encryption and overstate the impact that breaking encryption would actually have on criminal investigations.

Our law enforcement and intelligence agencies routinely abuse their overly-broad, unconstitutional surveillance powers to spy on journalists and racial justice advocates. Giving our government even more powers will only result in more abuses against vulnerable individuals and political dissenters.