ENCRYPTION WORKING GROUP RELEASES YEAR-END REPORT

The report contains key observations and opportunities for progress

Washington, D.C. –Members of the bipartisan encryption working group – established in March 2016 by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) – today released a year-end report laying out key observations and next steps.

For nearly a year, the Encryption Working Group has held numerous meetings with a variety of federal, state, and local government entities, former government officials, private industry and trade associations, civil society organizations, consultants and legal experts, academia, and cryptographers. These meetings have produced critical information, culminating in a year-end report that lays out four key observations and identifies several areas for future discussion next Congress.

The report concludes:

“Encryption is inexorably tied to our national interests. It is a safeguard for our personal secrets and economic prosperity. It helps to prevent crime and protect national security. The widespread use of encryption technologies also complicates the missions of the law enforcement and intelligence communities. As described in this report, those complications cannot be ignored. This is the reality of modern society. We must strive to find common ground in our collective responsibility: to prevent crime, protect national security, and provide the best possible conditions for peace and prosperity.

“That is why this can no longer be an isolated or binary debate. There is no ‘us versus them,’ or ‘pro-encryption versus law enforcement.’ This conversation implicates everyone and everything that depends on connected technologies—including our law enforcement and intelligence communities. This is a complex challenge that will take time, patience, and cooperation to resolve.  The potential consequences of inaction—or overreaction—are too important to allow historical or ideological perspectives to stand in the way of progress.”

Below are key observations of the report.

1.      Any measure that weakens encryption works against the national interest.

2.      Encryption technology is a global technology that is widely and increasingly available around the world.

3.      The variety of stakeholders, technologies, and other factors create different and divergent challenges with respect to encryption and the “going dark” phenomenon, and therefore there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the encryption challenge.

4.      Congress should foster cooperation between the law enforcement community and technology companies.

Based on these observations, the report has identified several areas for future discussion by the committees next Congress, such as exploring opportunities to help law enforcement agencies navigate the process of accessing information from private companies; examining options to improve law enforcement’s ability to leverage metadata; reviewing the circumstances, resources and legal framework necessary to help law enforcement agencies exploit existing flaws in digital products; considering the implications of alternative legal strategies such as compelling individual consumers to decrypt their devices, and the role of encryption in fostering greater data security and privacy.

The members of the working group issuing the report are House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), and Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Bill Johnson (R-OH), and Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY).

House Judiciary & Energy and Commerce Committees Encryption Working Group Year-End Report December 20, 2016... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Judiciary and E&C Committee Leaders Urge FCC to Release Text of Set-Top Box Proposal

Conyers, Goodlatte,  Upton, & Walden Push For FCC Transparency

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), today sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler regarding the agency’s set-top box proposal.

 

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

The committee leaders write, “While much remains unknown, what is clear at this point is that the proposal would benefit from public process. … Absent a public vetting of the Commission’s proposal it is unclear what the Commission is planning, let alone its impact. Without further delay, we request that you release the text of your proposal. The proposal raises issues of significance to both our Committees, and we believe the Commission should release text in order to allow all stakeholders to meaningfully discuss the implications of the proposal.”

“We remain concerned that the FCC’s op-ed in the LA Times, as well as the fact sheet raise new questions rather than resolve questions posed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” added Upton and Walden. "Unfortunately, this behavior is not new and this aversion to transparency has come to define the FCC.”

House Judiciary Letter To FCC on Set Top Box Letter 9.16.16 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Ahead Of Public Meeting Wednesday, Democratic CARA Conferees Call For Addition Of Real Funding To Combat Opioid & Heroin Addiction

 

WASHINGTON (Tuesday, July 5, 2016) – Ahead of Wednesday’s public meeting of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) conference committee, Democratic conferees are urging their Republican counterparts to support the addition of $920 million fully paid for by bipartisan offsets for states to provide critical resources to respond to the nation’s opioid and heroin epidemic.

In a letter to Conference Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), all House and Senate Democratic conferees noted that the savings identified in the letter have recently received strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and similar funding levels for combatting opioid addiction were included in the president’s FY2016 budget request.  A coalition of 182 organizations representing medical experts, first responders, and local government has called on conferees to put real resources in the CARA bill, as this proposal would do.

The Democratic Conferees noted that “While the scope and urgency of the opioid crisis would justify this investment being considered emergency spending, we are willing to put Federal budget savings on the table, demonstrating that there is no excuse for inaction when it comes to funding for treatment and prevention of opioid addiction.”

They added: “Accordingly, we will not sign a conference report that does not include significant funding that reflects the seriousness of the epidemic and provides meaningful support to these important priorities.”

The letter was signed by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in the Senate; and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Education and Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), and Rep. Raul Ruiz M.D. (D-Calif.) in the House.

Representative Fred Upton Opioid Conference Committee Letter 2016 07 05 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Conyers, Goodlatte, Upton, and Pallone Announce Bipartisan Encryption Working Group

Encryption a Top Issue for House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce Committees

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today announced the creation of an encryption working group to examine the complicated legal and policy issues surrounding encryption. The group will identify potential solutions that preserve the benefits of strong encryption – including the protection of Americans’ privacy and information security - while also ensuring law enforcement has the tools needed to keep us safe and prevent crime. The House Judiciary Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee have primary jurisdiction over encryption and the issues it presents for citizens, law enforcement, and American technology companies.

Members of the working group are:

Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)

Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Suzan DelBene (D-WA)

Bill Johnson (R-OH)

Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)

Yvette Clarke (D-NY)

Joe Kennedy (D-MA)

Chairmen Goodlatte and Upton and Ranking Members Conyers and Pallone will serve as ex officio members of the working group and released the following joint statement:

“The widespread use of strong encryption is important to protecting Americans’ privacy.  We also recognize that challenges remain for law enforcement agencies seeking to disrupt criminals and terrorists from doing us harm. The bipartisan encryption working group will examine the issues surrounding this ongoing national debate. Members will work toward finding solutions that allow law enforcement agencies to fulfill their responsibility without harming the competitiveness of the U.S. technology sector or the privacy and security that encryption provides for U.S. citizens. We look forward to continuing our work on this important issue facing our country.”

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CONYERS Working For A Better Michigan

University of Michigan Football Coach Jim Harbaugh dropped by Congress for the #LastSOTU with one message — working together for a better #Michigan — with Justin Amash, Jim Harbaugh,Fred Upton and Rep. Debbie Dingell at United States Capitol.

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Representative Conyers Hosts Bipartisan Event Honoring UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock

(WASHINGTON) — Last Tuesday, Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (M-14) and Fred Upton (M-06), hosted an event for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The event honored Grammy Award winning jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, Herbie Hancock.  Rep. Conyers released the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“As an avid supporter of the arts, I was delighted to host UNESCO and Herbie Hancock, an internationally recognized jazz artist, to speak on Capitol Hill about the work UNESCO is doing around the world to promote peace, education, and economic development.  Mr. Hancock’s speech and performance brilliantly demonstrated how music is an effective tool for crossing cultural boundaries to promote these important goals.     

“UNESCO carries out a critical part of the United Nation’s mission to promote peace and cooperation among nations.  It utilizes the arts and music to build cultural bridges, and promote genuine understanding between diverse groups and cultures.  In a world in which many armed conflicts are still fueled by petty differences, it is important that we recognize the efforts of UNESCO and artists like Herbie Hancock to promote education, peace, and understanding through cultural exchange.”

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