Florida legislators are once again attempting to undermine digital privacy, this time through a proposal that would erode secure communication, using the protection of minors to introduce laws that would proliferate online digital ID and curb private messaging.
The legislation in question, known as the “Social Media Use by Minors” bill (HB 744/SB 868), openly calls for platforms to break end-to-end encryption on accounts belonging to users under 18, provided law enforcement presents a subpoena. It also bans disappearing messaging features on these accounts, stripping away tools commonly used for privacy and safety.
Unlike previous efforts to introduce surveillance measures through vague language or ambiguous terms, Florida’s bill is explicit in its intent. The requirement for platforms to provide decryption capabilities for law enforcement is a direct mandate for a backdoor, a move that could effectively force tech companies to eliminate strong encryption for minors’ accounts altogether. That would leave young users more exposed, not more secure.
There is no technical method to offer selective access to encrypted communications that doesn’t risk making the entire system vulnerable. As demonstrated by incidents like the Salt Typhoon, introducing even limited backdoors weakens the security infrastructure for everyone.
The bill also sidesteps practical enforcement issues. It imposes no clear guidelines for age verification, yet expects platforms to distinguish between adult and minor accounts when applying these intrusive policies. That gap leaves room for inconsistent application and could push companies to avoid offering privacy features altogether rather than risk non-compliance.
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Article URL : https://reclaimthenet.org/florida-advances-bill-mandating-encryption-backdoors