Don't forget that most new phones have locked bootloaders and cryptographically secure boot processes. If lawmakers required manufactures put a piece of software on every phone, it would be technically possible and very difficult to bypass.

What about phones that have already been bought? You can easily get a phone today that runs an open source OS and boatloader: As bad as this bill may be, I doubt they could justify confiscating all of them, but short of that there is no way to enforce that law.

Similarly with computers - with a law like this in place Linux cannot exist.

It's not about controlling all the people, it's about controlling a significant percentage of people.

Just to legitimise it in public perception is still a big win for wannabe tyrants. That's a good first step upon which they can incrementally build on and tighten the screws, just like the anti-piracy groups have done. So it's not at all ridiculous. It's devious, and a cunning attempt to gauge how apathetic the public are to their own freedoms.

That was a serious question. Why write a bill like this? Who gains from it?