We Dont Need Laws to Regulate Encryption Technology Essay -- Argument

We Don't Need Laws to Regulate Encryption Technology "It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized" (1984, Orwell 6). Government shouldn't require in all encryption devices a trapdoor feature that would allow immediate decoding of any message by law-enforcement officials. To begin, the trapdoor feature would be a major disadvantage to U.S. technological companies. The cost to produce technologies comparable to these of other countries would increase with compensation for the extra parts and labor. Consequently, consumers would be more likely to purchase the cheaper products from other countries. Time and money would have to be spent on developing products to meet strict regulations. Thus, less of the focus could be utilized to improve product design. Foreign countries might develop a ...