Tim Cushing at TechDirt reports that New York Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-Staten Island) introduced a bill this week that bans the sale of smartphones that can't be cracked by their manufacturers. This anti-encryption legislation would, presumably, ban most cell phones from being sold in New York. Most phones contain many parts that are encrypted, such as apps that allow monetary transactions. Consumer payments are safe online because of encryption. Titone originally introduced this bill last year, and re-introduced the legislation this week as Albany re-opened for business. TechDirt says they believe this is the first proposal of its kind in the United States. "Apple Stores would apparently be unable to sell any smartphones and every service provider would have to eliminate any phones with default encryption from their lineups," Cushing writes. Encryption only makes certain transactions, or conversations, private. Read the full story at TechDirt.