House Homeland Security Committee releases encryption report

The House Homeland Security Committee released a report on Wednesday regarding encrypted communications in the wake of the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Paris.

The report, titled “Going Dark Going Forward: A Primer on the Encryption Debate,” is the first congressional in-depth analysis on the encryption issue that summarizes the committee’s findings. The committee based its report on more than 100 meetings and briefings from key stakeholders over the past year.

The report also lays the groundwork for a National Commission on Security and Technology Challenges, proposed by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). The bipartisan commission has support from administration officials, national security leaders, law enforcement and tech industry leaders and will help to forge a general consensus on opinions for future actions.

“The encryption debate in America is a contentious one, with no immediate solution or clear path forward,” McCaul said. “Even in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in America and the west, encryption remains a major challenge to law enforcement and the intelligence community. A national Commission would bring key players and leading minds to the table to develop recommendations for maintaining privacy and digital security, while also finding ways to keep criminals and terrorists from exploiting these technologies to escape justice. Encryption is too central to our country’s future to answer without a robust dialogue with all the key stakeholders.”