Bruce J. Heiman
Practice Area Leader — Policy / Regulatory
K&L Gates
For over 20 years, Mr. Heiman has engaged in a wide-ranging federal counseling and lobbying practice on behalf of leading clients in the information technology industry. He also assists a range of companies understand the laws and policies applying to their Internet and e-commerce activities. He is one of two Practice Area Leaders of K&L Gates’ Policy and Regulatory Practice and serves on the firm’s Management Committee.
Mr. Heiman is a recognized authority on cyber security and privacy policy issues. He was counsel to the private sector coalition that led the fight to liberalize export controls on American encryption products. He has worked with a leading trade association to ensure that efforts to promote cyber security and protect critical information infrastructure are market-driven and industry-led.
He has been actively involved in formulating practicable privacy policies, helping companies prevent and respond to data breaches, protecting intellectual property rights, improving the delivery of government services while preventing unfair competition with the private sector and opposing governmental regulation of the Internet.
Mr. Heiman was profiled by Tech Counsel Magazine as one of the leading high-tech lobbyists in Washington and has been quoted on info-tech issues in The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Journal, Congressional Quarterly, Legal Times and Tech Daily. He has spoken to the RSA Security Conference, the ABA Committee of Corporate General Counsel and the Congressional Internet Caucus.
From 1984 to 1987, he served as legislative director and trade counsel to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.
Recent Events and Presentations
Allowing Companies to Hack Back: Good Security or Vigilante Justice?
From data breaches to denial of service attacks, the private sector routinely faces a barrage of threats from those seeking to wreak havoc on their digital systems. When faced with an attack, companies can take steps to secure their own systems, but they are not authorized to retaliate against any system that they do not own. What are the domestic and international implications of authorizing private entities to engage in offensive cybersecurity operations?
Decoding the Encryption Dilemma: A Conversation on Backdoors, Going Dark, and Cybersecurity
At this event, ITIF will discuss a new report that analyzes the current proposals put forth to address the “going dark” problem. Following a presentation on the report, panelists will offer their reactions and discuss how policymakers can harness the benefits of encryption and put in place policies that both encourage advances in cryptography and protect the rule of law.
Crypto Wars 2.0: How Should The U.S. Balance Privacy and National Security?
Recent reports suggest the U.S. government wants to ban strong encryption, a policy that could spell disaster for both U.S. competitiveness and civil liberties. Can policymakers reconcile the needs of law enforcement with good cybersecurity practices? Join ITIF for a lively panel discussion.
