Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed the Department of Justice to create a Cyber-Digital Task Force, which will canvass the many ways DOJ is combating the global cyber threat, and identify how federal law enforcement can more effectively accomplish its mission in this vital and evolving area. The Task Force will be chaired by a senior DOJ official appointed by the Deputy Attorney General and will consist of representatives from the department’s Criminal Division, the National Security Division, the United States Attorney’s Office community, the Office of Legal Policy, the Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the ATF, FBI, DEA, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sessions has asked the Task Force to prioritize its study of efforts to interfere with our elections; efforts to interfere with our critical infrastructure; the use of the Internet to spread violent ideologies and to recruit followers; the mass theft of corporate, governmental, and private information; the use of technology to avoid or frustrate law enforcement; and the mass exploitation of computers and other digital devices to attack American citizens and businesses.
However, the scope of the Task Force’s report is not limited to these categories. The Deputy Attorney General also may invite representatives from other DOJ components and from other federal agencies to participate in the Task Force. He may also establish subcommittees to focus the Task Force’s efforts.
