Senate Bill Would Ensure Feds Can Access Computers and Mobile Devices

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft of a Senate bill would effectively bar unbreakable encryption and require companies to help the government access data on a computer or mobile device with a warrant.

The draft is being finalized by the senior lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California.

The senators say in a statement their goal is to ensure government agents can obtain unscrambled information that might help an investigation. They say in the statement that no individual or company is above the law.

The effort follows the Justice Department's battle with Apple Inc. over access to an encrypted and locked iPhone.