Lindsey Graham Proposal Could Expose Apple, Facebook to Lawsuits
- Online child-protection measure targets technology platforms
- Draft bill could remove legal immunity for encrypted services
The Facebook Inc. application icon is displayed on an Apple Inc. iPhone.
Photographer: Johannes Berg/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, is targeting giant internet platforms with a child protection measure that could threaten tech companies’ use of encryption and a liability exemption they prize.
The from Graham, the South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, mounts a double attack against encrypted services such as Apple Inc.’s iCloud and Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp chat. It jeopardizes technology companies’ immunity to lawsuits by victims for violating child exploitation and abuse statutes and it lowers the standard to bring such cases.