All members of Congress, and particularly those of us on the Intelligence Committee, have a responsibility to find the proper balance between forward thinking commercial policies and the unquestioned need to protect the security of the American people and America's national interests.
American citizens have a right to their privacy and their access to the freest possible markets.
But they also have a right to their safety and security. The bill referred to the Intelligence Committee attempts to deal with complex issues. The substitute adopted by the Committee addresses the legitimate national security and law enforcement concerns that are simply not addressed in H.R. 695. Our committee has weighed in on these issues in the interest of furthering the important debate now underway about how best to accomplish the multiple goals of a sound encryption policy. Any encryption legislation we consider must take a balanced approach to the national security, law enforcement, public safety and privacy issues at stake.