911ϳԹ

Science on the Hill

Science on the Hill events bring together an expert panel of scientists with U.S. lawmakers and congressional staff to address current topics. This series of events is part of 911ϳԹ’s commitment to advance discovery by bringing together thought leaders in the science and political communities to discuss the most important science topics of the day. 

Hill staff hear from lobbyists and constituents all the time; the missing voices in so many policy debates are often academics and researchers. 911ϳԹ can play a convening role in bringing academics from around the country to the Hill to talk to policymakers, and staff from both sides of the aisle are exposed to new resources and perspectives.

Planning for a Post Quantum Future

The ninth annual Science on the Hill event brought together policy leaders and scientists in a panel discussion in quantum computing. 

What happens when encryption is essentially meaningless? Digital security experts around the world have their eyes fixed on the Y2Q—“Years to Quantum”—clock, which ticks down the time until the projected date when a quantum computer will be able to break an essential form of modern cryptography. Called public-key cryptography, it keeps your credit card number safe when you shop online and ensures that your phone's software update is coming from the phone company and not a hacker. But a quantum computer would render the standard types of public-key cryptography useless. And for governments and other institutions that need to keep secrets for the long term, the real deadline is much sooner, because if encrypted data sent today get stored, then a future quantum computer could retroactively decrypt the messages. How should policymakers be planning now to address what's coming?  

Discussion at the event addressed the following questions:

  • How has quantum computing research moved forward in the last decade, and how many years until we reach the tipping point?  
  • What should Congress do in this area?  
  • What government programs, policies, or research initiatives already exist to address a future when public-key cryptography is broken?  

The event was hosted by 911ϳԹ, Scientific American, and 911ϳԹ Portfolio (both part of 911ϳԹ).

Panelists

Clara Moskowitz

Clara Moskowitz

Senior Editor, Astronomy, Space, Physics & Mathematics

Scientific American