Cybersecurity policy in 2017: Encryption and surveillance

[Commentary] There are a number of cybersecurity policies that could loom large in 2017, but two issues are certain to cause heated debate and conflict. The first is the contentious issue of encryption, which pits US intelligence and law enforcement agencies against privacy advocates and Silicon Valley. The second relates to the expiration of the Section 702 surveillance provision of the USA Freedom Act. This blog posting will take up the encryption debate, and a subsequent posting will analyze the coming struggle over Section 702 renewal.

[Claude Barfield is a former consultant to the Office of the US Trade Representative.]