[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 125 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3454-S3455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UNANIMOUS CONSENT OBJECTION

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I am announcing my intention to object to 
any unanimous consent request to proceed to S. 1199, the Strengthening 
Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse 
and Mistreatment Act of 2023.
  The protection of children from exploitation and abuse is an 
incredibly serious issue. The criminals that create and distribute 
child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, need to be hunted down and locked 
up. The victims of their crimes need critical support. However, this 
bill would limit the availability of encrypted communications, making 
children and families less safe. Indeed, whistleblowers, human rights 
activists, journalists, labor organizers, and women seeking 
reproductive care, as well our children and families, all depend on 
secure and private communications and would suffer the harms of its 
unavailability.
  The portions of this bill that hurt the availability of encrypted 
communications are extraneous and stray from the ostensible purpose of 
the bill. Until

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they are removed, I will object to any unanimous consent request in 
relation to this legislation.

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