Multiple companies of the United States tech industry are expected to launch a joint attack on the Investigatory Powers Bill of the United Kingdom. The expectation comes as Apple has submitted evidence that shows that the bill puts the personal data of millions of citizens at serious risk.
The Investigatory Powers Bill provides police and security services to access the internet usage records of every British citizens without obtaining judicial authorization. Yesterday, Apple submitted a complaint to the parliamentary committee regarding the invasive new bill.
Apple said, “It would also likely be the catalyst for other countries to enact similar laws, paralyzing multinational corporations under the weight of what could be dozens or hundreds of contradictory country-specific laws.”
The company also argued that the provisions would force companies to adopt weaker standards of encryption. This could make the data of millions of citizens insecure.
While other companies such as Facebook have largely remained silent on the matter, there are also plans for a joint effort by multiple American companies to submit evidence to the parliamentary committee in order to make similar complaints as Apple. The companies that are planning to jointly submit the evidence include Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and Microsoft.
Meanwhile, many cyber security experts are less than pleased with the proposed bill. The program director of law and human rights at Amnesty International Rachel Logan said that the body was very disappointed in the ability of the bill to collect bulk data. Logan also said that the proposition of legal interception of confidential information was particularly worrisome.
Cyber security advisor of F-Secure Corporation Erka Koivunen said, “This is the bill you would get if you were to ask the intelligence agencies what they want as a Christmas present. We should be aware that the powers laid out in the bill could be misused and lead other nation states to mimic those powers”.
Time will tell if the tech companies will be able to stop this dangerous bill that takes away the security of millions of people.
Stay Connected
