Tommy Ross

Senior Director, Policy

Tommy Ross serves as Senior Director, Policy with BSA | The Software Alliance. In this role, he works with BSA members to develop and advance global policy positions on a range of key issues, with a focus on cybersecurity, privacy, and market access barriers.

Prior to joining BSA, Ross served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security Cooperation. He was the Senior Advisor for Intelligence and Defense to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Legislative Director for U.S. Representative David Price, and a research assistant for Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

Ross is a graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina and Union Theological Seminary in New York. He is based in BSA’s Washington, DC, office.

Posts by Tommy Ross

It’s Common Sense: Any Encryption Solution Needs to Consider All Sides

Feb 15, 2018 in Cybersecurity, Privacy

Encryption is increasingly at the core of modern business operations and personal communications, underpinning financial transactions, critical infrastructure network security, personal text messages and emails, and sensitive military technologies. Yet, while hundreds of millions of global citizens depend on encryption for security and privacy, criminal actors take advantage of the technology to obscure their activity. … Read More >>

How Today’s Cybersecurity Practices are Like the Railroads of the Civil War

Oct 3, 2017 in Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Data

** This op-ed first appeared in Morning Consult on October 3, 2017.** Imagine you live in the Civil War-era United States and the railroad is your primary means of long-distance transportation. In those days, the railway gauge (or, the distance between the rails on the track) varied widely. There wasn’t just one accepted standard – … Read More >>