Washingtonpost.com staff
Updated April 24, 1998

As chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has a vital role in the Senate's debate over encryption policy, and has co-sponsored the Secure Public Networks Act [S. 909] with Nebraska Democratic Sen. Robert Kerrey.

McCain has been sympathetic to FBI Director Louis Freeh's arguments stating that law enforcement officers with proper authority need to be able to immediately break strong cryptography. But the senator has shied away from mandating domestic controls of encryption, choosing instead to propose legislation that seeks to create a "voluntary" key recovery system. The McCain-Kerrey bill also would create an advisory board to approve what kind of encryption may be exported.

The senator began his career in the U.S. Navy. In 1967, McCain's plane was shot down over Hanoi. Between 1967 and 1973 he was a prisoner of war, and received many awards for his military service. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. After serving two terms in the House, he was elected to the Senate in 1986 and was reelected in 1992.

See Senator McCain's Congressional Guide profile and send him e-mail.