Rep. Peter King Wednesday called on private technology companies such as Apple and Facebook to cooperate with the government and find a way to allow officials to observe messages between possible terror suspects, saying he is worried it will take "a 9/11-type disaster" before change is made.
"I find it it disillusioning that people in the private sector who refuse to do it because they want to sell encrypted apps, and they are afraid if there is any back door the private individuals or companies won't want to buy them," the New York Republican, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told
Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program.
President Barack Obama should sit down with the companies, and if that doesn't work, Congress should pass legislation, he said.
"It's important for the president to come on as strong as he can, to use the power of the Oval Office," said King.
He said he is concerned that months from now, people will be asking "how come we didn't find out," because of encrypted apps.
"It's a disaster waiting to happen," said King. "ISIS and al-Qaida are coming at us all the time."
The matter was hotly debated in Tuesday night's GOP debate, noted show host Bill Hemmer, with candidates Rand Paul and Ted Cruz speaking out in favor of privacy, but King said a court order would need to be in place before the apps could be accessed.
"Rand Paul has his own view of this, and he's not qualified to be president," said King. "Privacy is his god."
The fourth amendment protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure, said King, not invasion of privacy.
"The FBI would not be penetrating without the court order and the National Security Agency could not be listening to anyone's conversation without a court order," said King.