Congress must work together to protect personal data and strengthen national security

In a world where our lives are lived more and more online, ensuring our data is secure and encrypted is going to be a top concern for Americans. Just imagine a future where your text messages, emails, and Social Security number can be easily hacked and made public.  

As quantum computing continues to progress, we need to take steps now to ward off that dystopian future.  

These quantum computers are essentially supercomputers that, in theory, will be able to use quantum physics to break the encryption algorithms currently used to protect sensitive data. A fully quantum computer does not exist today, but that’s not stopping our adversaries from engaging in a tactic called "steal now, decrypt later," which involves gathering encrypted data with the goal of developing a quantum computer that will allow them to access it in the future.