Sen Wyden reintroduces bill banning wiretap access to cellphones

Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) is reintroducing legislation that bars the government from requiring mobile phone companies to build so-called "backdoor" security vulnerabilities into their devices to allow access to communications.

Sen Wyden first introduced the bill in December 2014 after the FBI urged Congress to update a law requiring companies to make it possible to tap users mobile phones in certain national security situations. Privacy advocates have criticized the law allowing intelligence agencies to eavesdrop. Sen Wyden said public trust in technology companies has been eroded by the disclosures of secret government surveillance programs. He said updating the law would prevent companies from rebuilding consumer trust.