open source

Bipartisan Bill Would Bolster Security Defenses Against Open-Source Software Vulnerabilities

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, have proposed a bill to help protect federal and critical infrastructure systems by strengthening the security of open source software. The legislation comes after a hearing convened by Peters and Portman on...

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Ensure DOD Keeps Pace With Rapidly Changing Tech

U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Angus King (I-ME) on Friday introduced the American Defense Programs, Logistics, and Acquisitions for the Nation’s Security (American Defense PLANS) Act, which would direct the Department of Defense (DOD) to facilitate an external...

Legislators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Secure Critical Infrastructure From Cyber Attacks

Reps. John Katko, R-N.Y., and Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., introduced a bipartisan bill in the House on Tuesday to protect systemically important critical infrastructure (SICI) from cyber attacks. Their bill, the Securing Systemically Important Critical Infrastructure Act, helps establish a transparent...
us house

House Passes Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act an overwhelming 410-15 margin. If approved by the Senate and enacted, the bill would create a cybersecurity personnel rotation program for Federal employees. The bill, introduced...

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Mandate Reporting of Cyber Attacks and Ransom Payments

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the committee’s ranking member, have introduced bipartisan legislation to require critical infrastructure owners and operators to report to the...

Lawmakers Urge Energy Department to Prioritize Cybersecurity in Wake of SolarWinds Breach

A bipartisan group of senators have urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to prioritize cybersecurity and to keep the leadership of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, (CESER), in place to ensure that the department can...
drugs

Legislators Target Tech’s Legal Immunity to Tackle Online Drug Sales

Two U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced legislation to tackle the sale of opioids and illicit drugs online through the amendment of a key federal law that grants online companies legal immunity. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act...
social media

DOJ, Senate Repulicans, Introduce Bill to Let Americans Sue Big Tech for Undue Censorship

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and some republican lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill to empower Americans to sue Big Tech companies who act in bad faith by selectively censoring political speech and hiding content created by their competitors. Sen. Josh...

Senate Democrat Introduces Legislation to Strengthen U.S. Cybersecurity

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) on Friday introduced a pair of bills to address vulnerabilities in America’s cybersecurity defenses. The Continuity of Economy Act of 2020 would direct the President to develop a plan to ensure essential functions of the economy are...
senate

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Punish Theft of U.S. Technology

A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators on Thursday introduced bipartisan legislation to mandate strong economic penalties on firms and individuals involved in stealing American intellectual property. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) introduced the Protecting American Intellectual Property...

U.S. Senators Press Trump Administration to End Weaponization of Facial Recognition Technology

Severeal U.S. senators on Wednesday pressed Trump administration officials to end federal law enforcement’s weaponizing of facial recognition technology against peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out about the police killing of George Floyd and other black...

Lawmakers Query Juniper Networks on Use of NSA Algorithm With Backdoor Which Led to Breach

Some members of the U.S. House on Wednesday asked Juniper Networks to explain how an NSA-designed algorithm, which leading cybersecurity experts believe contains an encryption backdoor, appeared in its products, and how the key to this backdoor was later changed by unknown parties. Juniper...

Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Propose $22.8 Billion in Aid to Semiconductor Industry

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill to provide more than $22.8 billion in aid for semiconductor manufacturers to "restore semiconductor manufacturing back to American soil." The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act...
fcc

Republican Senators Urge FCC to Clarify Section 230 Following Trump’s Executive Order

Four Republican senators have requested that the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) take a fresh look at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and clearly define the criteria for which companies can receive protections under the statute. Section 230 of...

Lawmakers Urge Probe of TikTok on Children’s Privacy

Following the rapid rise in the use of technology by children during the coronavirus pandemic, a bipartisan group of four senators on Friday urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate new evidence that the popular video social media...

Senators Applaud ICANN Blocking Sale of .Org Registry to Private Equity Firm

A group of senators recently praised the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for blocking the sale of the .org registry to a little-known venture capital firm, Ethos Capital. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Edward...
drone

Lawmaker Urges Justice Department to Prevent Drones from Interfering with Firefighting

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Friday wrote to the Department of Justice to exercise its legal authority to prevent drones from interfering with firefighting efforts in California and throughout the West. “Troubling reports have surfaced, such as on October 31,...

Legislators Introduce Bill to Force Social Media Firms to Disclose How Much They Make From User Data

Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Monday introduced the Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broaden Oversight And Regulations on Data (DASHBOARD) Act, bipartisan legislation that will require data harvesting companies such as social media platforms...
senate

Senate Passes Bill to Block ‘Trolls’ Who Meddle With US Elections From Entering The Country

The U.S. Senate on Monday unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to prevent individuals who interfere with U.S. elections from entering the United States. The Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act makes improper interference in U.S. elections a violation...
work

Lawmakers Introduce Cyber Ready Workforce Act to Boost Cybersecurity Workforce

Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation on Wednesday to address the shortage in the cybersecurity workforce. The Cyber Ready Workforce Act would establish a grant program within the Department of Labor whereby the Secretary of Labor shall award...
privacy

Draft U.S. Senate Bill Proposes Fines, Prison Time for Data Privacy Violations

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Thursday released a discussion draft of sweeping new legislation that would give consumers greater control over their personal information, create transparency into how corporations use and share their data, and impose harsh fines and...
cyber

Lawmakers Urge State Department to Adopt ‘Basic’ Cybersecurity Measures

A bipartisan group of Senators want the State Department to adopt what they refer to as basic cybersecurity measures to protect against phishing, hacks and other cyberattacks, in a letter released today. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Ed...

Smart TV Tracking: Legislators Blast Privacy Policies, Call for FTC Probe

Democratic senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), members of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, are requesting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launch an investigation into the privacy policies and practices of smart TV manufacturers. They...

House Passes Bill Aimed at Addressing Cyber Vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems

House lawmakers on Monday approved a bill aimed at addressing the vulnerabilities to technologies used in critical applications. The bill, H.R. 5733, the DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify...
net neutrality

Senate to Vote Wednesday on Net Neutrality Reinstatement

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced Monday that they will lead their Senate Democratic colleagues in forcing a vote on Wednesday, May 16, 2018...

Legislators Introduce Bipartisan Privacy Legislation to Protect Consumers’ Online Data

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Kennedy (R-LA) on Tuesday announced privacy legislation that will protect consumers’ online data. The bipartisan legislation would require companies to make privacy disclosures clearer and more transparent, give consumers the right to control...
fitness tracker

Blumenthal, Cotton Urge Defense Department to Evaluate Security Implications of Fitness Trackers

U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis to voice concerns about the collection of location data of U.S. servicemembers abroad. The Senators' letter...

Senators Introduce Legislation to Prohibit U.S. Government Use of Chinese Telco Firms

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) on Wednesday introduced the Defending U.S. Government Communications Act, legislation that would prohibit the United States government from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment and/or services from Huawei, ZTE, or any subsidiaries...
uber breach

Legislators Accuse Uber of Intentionally Concealing 2016 Data Breach From FTC

Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), both of whom are members of the House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, on Monday sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee...
rep mcnerny

Lawmaker Requests Briefing on Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerabilities From Microchip Makers

A Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday asked major microchip makers whose products are affected by the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities to provide a briefing on the newly discovered cybersecurity flaws. Congressman Jerry McNerney’s (CA-09) letter follows recent reports that computer chips...
senate

Senate Forges Ahead With Efforts to Overrule FCC’s Repeal of Net Neutrality; Garners 50 Votes

Fifty senators have endorsed a legislative measure to override the Federal Communications Commission's December decision to roll back net neutrality rules, top Democrats said Monday. The resolution aims to overturn the FCC's decision and prohibit the agency from passing similar...
hacker

Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Future Disruptions in Elections

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Tuesday introduced the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act. According to the legislators, “it sends a powerful message to any foreign actor seeking to disrupt our...

Trump Signs MGT Act Into Law to Facilitate Federal IT Modernization

President Trump signed the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act into law on Tuesday, establishing an IT modernization fund for federal agencies to upgrade their outdated technology systems. The MGT Act creates a $500 million central modernization fund over two years,...

House Passes Major Cybersecurity Legislation

House lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed H.R. 3359, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2017. The bill was sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize...
cyber

Senators Introduce Legislation to Bolster Election Cybersecurity

U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Wednesday , introduced bipartisan legislation to protect American election systems from foreign interference. The senators, who are members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced the Securing America's...
shipping

House Passes Bill Aimed at Boosting Cybersecurity at U.S. Ports

The House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill meant to boost cybersecurity at the nation’s seaports. H.R. 3101, the Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017 was passed in the wake of the...
cybersecurity

Senate Passes Cybersecurity Legislation Aimed at Small Businesses

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed the Making Available Information Now to Strengthen Trust and Resilience and Enhance Enterprise Technology (MAIN STREET) Cybersecurity Act. The bipartisan bill will provide a consistent set of resources for small businesses to...
autonomous

Senate Releases Bipartisan Legislation to Guide Driverless Car Industry

The Senate released bipartisan legislation on Thursday specifically aimed at providing federal laws to guide the autonomous vehicle industry. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today introduced the...
kaspersky

Senate Votes to Ban Kaspersky Lab Products From Government Networks

The U.S. Senate on Monday passed an amendment against Kaspersky Lab pushed forward by New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. The amendment bans the use of Kaspersky Lab software across the federal government, and passed the Senate as part of...

Congressman Reintroduces the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act

Following the Equifax data breach, Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, reintroduced the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act, which provides for a single national breach notification standard. The bill requires that companies notify...

Legislator Introduces Bill to Provide Americans With Free Credit Protections

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Thursday introduced legislation to allow Americans to protect themselves from financial fraud at no cost. This is response to reports that millions of Americans’ personally identifiable and credit card information was exposed in...

Legislators Introduce Bill Tasking Credit Report Companies With Greater Accountability

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass,), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced legislation on Thursday to require accountability and transparency for data brokers like Equifax who are collecting and selling personal and sensitive information about...

Legislators Request Information on Equifax Breach, Say Incident Most Costly Yet

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Monday called on Equifax Inc., to respond to reports that the firm experienced a data breach exposing personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers,...
drone

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Protect Aircraft from Drones

U.S. Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) last week introduced the Drone Operator Safety Act, a bill to help protect American air traffic from the misuse of drones. The bill would make it a criminal offense to...

Hurd Introduces Smart Wall Legislation

U.S. Representative Will Hurd (R-TX) last week introduced the Secure Miles with All Resources and Technology (SMART) Act. Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX), David G. Valadao (R-CA), Steve Knight (R-CA), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Keith Rothfus...
iot

Senators Introduce Long Overdue Bill to Improve Security of IoT Devices

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), co-chairs of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, along with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-WA) and Steve Daines (R-MT) on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the cybersecurity of Internet-connected devices. The...
data

AIRWAVES Act to Expedite Introduction of High Speed Wireless to Rural Areas

Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) on Tuesday introduced the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (AIRWAVES) Act, which is aimed at encouraging the federal government to continue to free up spectrum for...
cyber

Senators Introduce Legislation to Combat Cybercrime

A bipartisan pair of senators on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at combating cybercrime against U.S. computer networks. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Congresswoman Susan Brooks (R-IN) introduced legislation to combat cyberattacks...
google

Google Slammed With Record $2.7B Fine by EU in Antitrust Case

The European Commission slammed Google with a €2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) fine on Tuesday for breaching EU antitrust rules. According to EU antitrust regulators, Google has abused its market dominance as a search engine by giving an illegal advantage...

Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Protect Online Privacy

Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Thursday introduced the Balancing the Rights of Web Surfers Equally and Responsibly (BROWSER) Act of 2017 to protect the online privacy of Americans. The legislation designates the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)...