(This op-ed was first published in Brookings TechStream on May 4, 2020.)

Before the novel coronavirus arrived on its shores, the United States had spent decades becoming a heavily digitized society. Now, the pandemic is deepening that dependence on digital technology, converting millions of in-person interactions into online communications. That dependence means good cybersecurity, including strong encryption, has become more crucial than ever.

With millions of Americans banking, working, and living online, there is no worse time to weaken encryption and disincentivize improvements in cybersecurity. And yet that’s precisely what the Senate Judiciary Committee is trying to do right now, with a bill called the EARN IT Act that would deal a disastrous blow to online privacy and security.

(Continue reading the op-ed on Brookings TechStream page here.)

Riana Pfefferkorn is the associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.