Aaron Cooper

Senior Vice President, Global Policy

Aaron Cooper serves as Senior Vice President, Global Policy. In this role, Cooper leads BSA’s global policy team and contributes to the advancement of BSA members’ policy priorities around the world that affect the development of emerging technologies, including data privacy, cybersecurity, AI regulation, data flows, and digital trade. He testifies before Congress and is a frequent speaker on data governance and other issues important to the software industry.

Cooper previously served as a Chief Counsel for Chairman Patrick Leahy on the US Senate Judiciary Committee, and as Legal Counsel to Senator Paul Sarbanes. Cooper came to BSA from Covington and Burling, where he was of counsel, providing strategic guidance and policy advice on a broad range of technology issues.

Cooper is a graduate of Princeton University and Vanderbilt Law School. He clerked for Judge Gerald Tjoflat on the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Posts by Aaron Cooper

Why Data Needs to Move Across Borders and Why You Should Care

May 8, 2017 in Data

Cross-border data flows are essential to the global economy. This is a point that BSA always emphasizes. But what exactly are “cross-border data flows” and how do they affect you? “Cross-border data flows” refers to the movement or transfer of information between servers across country borders. Data needs to be able move freely so that … Read More >>

New Irish Warrant Case Decision – Again – Points to Need for Congressional Action to Update ECPA

Jan 27, 2017 in Data

The importance of this week’s decision by the Second Circuit to deny rehearing in Microsoft’s Irish warrant case has less to do with the action in court and more to do with what happens next. Specifically, with what happens in Congress. Last July, a panel of the Second Circuit held that a warrant issued by … Read More >>

A Positive Step in the Encryption Debate

Dec 21, 2016 in Cybersecurity, Privacy

The members of the House Encryption Working Group took on a seemingly impossible task this year when they set out to bridge the gap between the two sides of this noisy and difficult debate. That makes the result of their work – a series of balanced findings that summarizes their careful consideration of these issues … Read More >>

Update: Trade Policy Forum Meeting in India

Oct 21, 2016 in Global Markets, Intellectual Property

Intellectual property protection is crucial for software innovation. It encourages research and development that creates jobs in the US and around the world. That is why BSA is so pleased that USTR prioritized trade secret and patent protection in its Trade Policy Forum (TPF) discussions with India this week. TPF is an important bilateral dialogue … Read More >>

Encryption: Securing Our Data, Securing Our Lives

Jun 1, 2016 in Cybersecurity, Data

Encryption impacts our daily lives from the moment we get up in the morning to the moment we fall asleep. When we log into work from home, use a credit card to pay for lunch, or just text a friend, encryption is keeping our data secure. Encryption is also keeping us safe by protecting critical … Read More >>