The conflict between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., over encryption engulfed the media this week, inflamed by a federal judge’s ruling that Apple should be forced to assist authorities in accessing the contents of one of the company’s devices. Yet while a number of familiar faces in Congress used the occasion to renew calls for quick legislative action, it remains uncertain that anything will materialize from the ordeal.

“The newest Apple operating systems allow device access only to users — even Apple itself can’t get in. Murderers, pedophiles, drug dealers and the others are already using this technology to cover their tracks,” Senate Intelligence Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., wrote in a column Thursday for USA Today.