Overview[]
The Internet Policy Task Force was established by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2010 to provide policy coordination across the Department of Commerce, and to conduct initially a comprehensive review of
- Enhancing Internet privacy
- Improving cybersecurity
- Protecting intellectual property; and
- Ensuring the global free flow of information
and their respective relationships to innovation in the Internet economy.
Members of the Task Force include the :
- International Trade Administration (ITA)
- National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The Task Force leverages expertise across many bureaus, including those responsible for domestic and international information and communications technology policy, international trade, cyber security standards and best practices, intellectual property, business advocacy and export control. It This includes experts across six agencies at the Department of Commerce: the Economic and Statistics Administration, the International Trade Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Office of the Secretary, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Reports[]
On December 16, 2010, the Task Force issued a preliminary report, titled Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework, which recommended consideration of a new framework for addressing online privacy issues in the United States.
In June 2011, the Task Force issued a report titled Cybersecurity, Innovation and the Internet Economy, which proposed voluntary codes of conduct to strengthen the cybersecurity of companies that increasingly rely on the Internet to do business, but are not part of the critical infrastructure and key resources sector.
In July 2013, the Task Force issued a report titled Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy to advance discussion on a set of policy issues critical to economic growth.