Former Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot explains that congressional tech policy on encryption splits both major US political parties internally.
Opinion
Ullyot: Peter Thiel's role in the Trump transition was invaluable for tech
“The role that Peter Thiel has played for tech has been invaluable for tech in that room. It's a voice. It's a very respected voice within that team.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Younger Supreme Court justices drive updates to tech legal doctrines
“When you look at some of those decisions where the court and certain justices seem to be reconsidering these settled doctrines, it's not exclusively the younger members, but it's predominantly the younger members.”
Prediction Held up
Ullyot: The incoming Republican-led FCC will massively modify net neutrality rules
“So it's been a Democrat commission, Democrat-dominated, three-two commission, and now it's going to flip and be three-two Republican, and the FCC series of Rules about net neutrality will, at minimum, be massively modified by the incoming administration.”
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Ullyot: Feinstein and Burr are the leading Congressional opponents of encryption
“You had, until now, the leading proponents of backdoors, let's say the leading opponents on the Hill, of encryption have been Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican.”
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Ullyot: Major tech policy issues are decided locally or internationally, not federally
“Another point is a lot of the tech policy issues that people think about today that are the headline issues in the world of tech policy are ones that are decided much more the state and local government issue or international rather than U S federal.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Ullyot: Federal deregulation will shift tech policy authority to state governments
“On balance, there'll be fewer instances in which a federal regulation preempts to set aside and overrule a state law or to obviate the need for a state law. So you'll have more opportunities for state legislatures and governors, just state governments generall…”