The Senate Judiciary Committee will continue to dedicate a subcommittee to privacy and technology issues.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced today that Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., is the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law.

Former Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy created the subcommittee in 2011 and named Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., as its chairman.  Franken used the subcommittee to hold hearings on a number of emerging privacy and technology issues, including geolocation and facial recognition.  When Republicans won control of the Senate in November, it was unclear whether Grassley would retain this new subcommittee.

Also today, Leahy announced that Franken is the new ranking member of the subcommittee. The other members of the subcommittee are Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, David Perdue, R-Ga., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,, Dianne Feinstein, D-Cal., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Christopher Coons, D-Del.