Senate Dem praises Obama’s tech focus in State of the Union

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) praised President Obama’s attention in his State of the Union address to the technological challenges facing America.

“Twenty-first century innovation and technology is disrupting and transforming every aspect of our lives, from the way Americans work to the security threats we are forced to confront,” said Warner, a former tech industry investor.

{mosads}In his speech, Obama made several mentions of issues important to the tech community, including net neutrality and computer science education.

“We’ve protected an open Internet and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online,” Obama said to applause from Democrats. “We’ve launched next-generation manufacturing hubs and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day.”

The comments referenced the Federal Communications Commission’s vote last year to implement sweeping net neutrality rules, which are meant to prevent Internet service providers from prioritizing some pieces of Internet traffic over others.

Warner appreciated the president’s awareness of the way technology is reshaping the American workforce.

“We must seize the opportunities and confront the challenges of this new economy in order to make it work better for more people​ in Virginia and across the country,” Warner said.

Obama also addressed the dangers posed by terrorist groups using the Internet to radicalize and recruit Americans.

“They use the Internet to poison the minds of individuals inside our country,” he said. “Their actions undermine and destabilize our allies. We have to take them out.”

Terrorists’ use of social media platforms to spread propaganda and communicate around the world has been a hot-button issue on Capitol Hill since the deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., which together claimed nearly 150 lives.

Warner will soon introduce a bill with House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) that would create a national commission to study security and technology in the digital age.

The commission would examine how terrorists use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to spread radical propaganda. It would also look at how criminals and extremists are using encryption technology to hide their communications from authorities.

“I believe that we can and we must find a thoughtful way to balance the imperatives of safety, security and privacy in protecting Americans from terrorists using 21st century technology and social media platforms to avoid detection,” Warner said after the State of the Union.

Warner and McCaul are expected to introduce their bill early next week.