Ted Poe: “I have a simple, straightforward amendment to protect the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This is a very…”

“I have a simple, straightforward amendment to protect the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This is a very similar amendment that passed DOD Appropriations last year. I would like to thank Representatives Lofgren, Massie, Conyers, Amash, Nadler, Farenthold, Polis, Labrador, and Lieu for working with me as cosponsors on this important amendment. James Comey, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, recently asked Congress to update the law to ensure that the Federal Government can access information from Americans' cell phones and personal electronic devices in the future. Many U.S. technology companies have also been approached by the government agencies, urging them either through intimidation or just request to create back doors on their products' encryption system so the government can access it later down the road. We have all learned recently about the government's abuse of section 215 under the PATRIOT Act and abuse under section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Basically what this amendment does, Mr. Chairman, is prohibit the government from going to Apple, for example, and telling Apple that they want an encryption in cell phones that they sell to Americans, an encryption that would allow the FBI to have access to this information, which would include not just conversations, not just include emails, but it would also include text messaging as well. This is a straightforward amendment.…”