Report: White House Won't Support Any Encryption-Related Legislation

The White House won't offer public support for any draft legislation that would offer judges the power to force technology companies to help law enforcement crack encrypted data, according to a report by Reuters

Reuters, citing "sources familiar with the discussions," noted that President Barack Obama's administration is "deeply divided" on the issue. On the one hand, President Obama himself suggested law enforcement agencies need to have a way to gain access to encrypted data on smartphones.

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Apple Inc. AAPL's refusal to help government agencies crack a locked iPhone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino shooting has brought the debate to the mainstream.

Reuters continued that a draft legislation will be introduced as soon as this week. The bill from Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein will give judges authority to order technology companies to aid the government.

The bill appears to have some bipartisan support as Burr is the Republican chair and Feinstein is the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

However, the publication's sources stated that the bill is vague in defining what technology companies might have to do or under what circumstances will they be ordered to help.