Here's A Way To Boost Congress' Tech Savvy

Congress should legislate on technology like it’s 1995, according to a policy paper from R Street Institute, a right-leaning think tank. Specifically, Congress should reinstate the Office of Technology Assessment, an internal research organization that advised congressional committees on thorny questions about emerging technology and science.

The Office of Technology Assessment, which launched in 1972 and was shuttered in 1995, could help Congress tackle complicated technology and cybersecurity issues, such as end-to-end consumer encryption and online copyright protections. In both those cases, some members of Congress suggested legislative changes based on the interests of industry or law enforcement only to face a wave of blowback from consumers and tech advocates. The renewed office could also help with issues such as regulating autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing apps as well as security concerns related to the internet of things, the authors said.