WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today cosponsored bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced by Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), to establish an independent National Commission on Security and Technology Challenges.

The digital security Commission will bring together all stakeholders, including tech leaders, law enforcement, the intelligence community, privacy and civil liberties advocates, computer science researchers and global commerce leaders, who will be charged with developing recommendations for maintaining privacy and digital security while also finding ways to keep criminals and terrorists from exploiting these technologies to escape justice.

“With advancements in technology come both opportunities and challenges. Such is the case with digital encryption and the balance between privacy and public safety. By establishing a bipartisan digital security commission and uniting experts in technology, privacy and law enforcement, we can better understand the full range of solutions needed to keep Americans safe, while ensuring personal privacy and bringing terrorists to justice,” said Senator Capito.

Under the McCaul-Warner proposal, a 16-member Commission, which will include a broad range of individuals with specific expertise, will be appointed in equal numbers by the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate. The Commission also will include a nonvoting representative selected by the administration. The Commission will be charged with issuing an interim report within six months, and will be required to submit majority recommendations for Congress to consider within 12 months of the law’s enactment.

It is clear that the U.S. faces a difficult question of how to take advantage of privacy and security benefits of digital security and communications technology while minimizing risks posed by its abuse – yet no simple path forward exists despite years of dialogue between the tech sector, law enforcement and national security professionals. 

The Commission will bring together leaders from tech companies, the privacy community, law enforcement, and others to examine the intersection of digital technology and national security and determine the implications for national security, public safety, data security, privacy, innovation and American competitiveness in the global marketplace.? The panel will engage with all the key stakeholders to get to the heart of these challenges and publish findings and recommendations in a publicly available report for all to consider.

For the full bill text, click here. For a section-by-section summary, click here.
 

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