DC Lawmakers Want To Hear From Apple, FBI On Encryption Debate

As the clash between Apple and the FBI intensifies, an increasing number of lawmakers are weighing in, with Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., announcing Wednesday they intend to introduce legislation that would create a commission to deal with security and technology issues.

This so-called crypto commission would bring together leaders from the tech and law enforcement worlds to debate matters relating to security, encryption and backdoors. The legislation will be introduced next week and would create a 16-member panel, according to the Daily Dot.

“The commission would bring together experts who understand the complexity and the stakes to develop viable recommendations on how to balance competing digital security priorities,” a statement on the legislation by the Bipartisan Policy Center said.

Elsewhere in D.C., more such meetings are on tap. The White House has called a get-together Wednesday with leaders from tech, entertainment and advertising to discuss ways the three industries and government can work together to fight online extremists, according to the New York Times.

The session reportedly includes Megan Smith, the federal chief technology officer, Jen Easterly, the senior director for counterterrorism, and John Carlin, the assistant attorney general for national security.

On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, a number of House and Senate members are scheduling hearings to discuss the issues, with at least two committees having invited Apple and the FBI to attend. Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee publicly invited the two parties to a hearing.

The House Judiciary Committee has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday dealing with matters of encryption and has called on Apple and the FBI. The witness list for the hearing is still being finalized, a spokeswoman said.