This letter from the ACLU was submitted to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in connection with its July 8, 2015 hearing, “Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and the Challenges of "Going Dark." The hearing is expected to cover issues surrounding the use of strong encryption by consumers, among other issues. The letter urges against any proposal that would (1) remove the protections for strong, backdoor-free encryption in the Communication Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA); (2) require, request, or incentivize technology companies or communication providers to weaken encryption to enable greater government surveillance; or (3) incentivize, request, or mandate that technology companies retain information or metadata to circumvent encryption efforts.