Third Way Digital Briefing: Why Encryption is Important for National Security

Event Details

When

September 16, 2020

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Congress is considering legislation that would provide law enforcement agencies “exceptional access” to encrypted data. It’s not just Americans’ privacy, but US national security that will be at risk if this access is required.

On Wednesday, September 16, we held a discussion featuring Michael Daniel, former White House Cybersecurity Coordinator for President Obama, Matt Olsen, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and General Counsel for the National Security Agency (NSA), Mieke Eoyang, Vice President for the National Security Program and Chairperson of the Cyber Enforcement Initiative at Third Way, and Allison Peters, Deputy Director of the National Security Program at Third Way as the moderator, where we discussed the national security implications of giving law enforcement a back door to encryption as highlighted in our report, “Weakened Encryption: The Threat to America’s National Security.”