Legislation
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...
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...
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)...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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,...
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...
PATCH Act: Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Establish Govt. Cyber Vulnerability Review Board
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that aims to prevent another mass leak of government-owned hacking tools, by forcing the government...
House Passes Hurd-Connolly IT Modernization Bill
A bill to create avenues for agencies to modernize their IT systems passed the House in a floor vote Wednesday.
The Hurd-Connolly Modernizing Government Technology...
Congress Launches Advanced Energy Storage Caucus to Bipartisan Support
U.S. Representatives Chris Collins (R-NY) and Mark Takano (D-CA) launched the Advanced Energy Storage Caucus in Congress last week, joined by executives from leading...
House Panel Passes Bill Aimed at Helping Small Businesses Improve Their Cyber Defenses
The House Science Committee passed legislation Tuesday requiring the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the government’s cybersecurity standards agency, to provide guidance...
Senator Introduces Bill to Nullify FCC’s Open Internet Order
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on Monday introduced a bill that would nullify the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Open Internet Order and prohibit the FCC...
Lawmakers Launch Bipartisan Digital Trade Caucus
Reps. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) launched the Congressional Digital Trade Caucus Monday to promote a U.S. trade policy that works in...
Lawmakers Reintroduce IT Modernization Bill in Congress
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has reintroduced the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT), a federal IT reform package is designed to reduce wasteful IT spending...
Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Bolster Cybersecurity Resources for Small Businesses
A bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday introduced the Making Available Information Now to Strengthen Trust and Resilience and Enhance Enterprise Technology (MAIN STREET)...
House Passes Bill to Allow ISPs Collect Users’ Personal Data Without Permission
The House voted Tuesday 215 to 205 to block internet privacy rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year. The FCC rules...
Sen. Warner Questions D.C.’s Metro on Cyberattack Preparedness
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) on Monday grilled the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) on three areas related to systems communication –...
Rule 41 Senate Block Fails: US Government Surveillance Powers Now Expanded
A final attempt by a bipartisan group of senators Wednesday to allow a vote to block a new rule that grants federal agents armed...
Lawmakers Say DOJ ‘Dodged’ Senate Questions About Government Hacking
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Chris Coons, D-Del., said Tuesday they are “deeply disappointed with the Justice Department’s failure to substantively answer” many of...
Lawmaker Urges FTC to Investigate Office Depot Over Reports of Unnecessary Computer Repairs
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez urging the agency to investigate allegations that Office...
U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Stall Implementation of Enhanced Government Hacking Powers
U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at delaying controversial changes to search and seizure rules that would facilitate certain forms of hacking by law...
U.S. Lawmakers Examine the Role of Connected Devices in Recent Cyber Attacks
The Communications and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), and the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess,...
OMB Updates Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo on Tuesday to heads of Executive departments and agencies informing them of updates to...
ONC’s Report to Congress Focuses on Interoperability and Future of Health IT
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), a staff division of the Office of the Secretary, within the U.S. Department...
House Committees to Probe Cyberattack Against Dyn
The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, chaired by Rep. Michael...
Industry Group Urges Senate to Act on IT Modernization Bill
The Professional Services Council (PSC), sent a letter last week to leaders in the Senate, urging the Senate to take action on H.R. 6004,...
U.S. Lawmakers Query Justice Department on New Hacking Rules
A bipartisan group of legislators on Thursday signed a letter asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to clarify how forthcoming rule changes to the...
U.S. Senator Probes Bot-Laden DDoS Attack on Dyn, Lack of Security of IoT Devices
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and co-founder of the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, is...
Proposed Bill to Give Tax Credits for Cyber Insurance
This month, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) introduced a new bill, H.R. 6032, the Data Breach Insurance Act. The bill would provide a 15 percent...
Democratic Senators Call Yahoo’s Delay in Announcing Breach ‘Unaccpetable’
Pressure continues to mount on Yahoo as repercussions from the recently announced massive breach stack up. Six democratic senators have written a scathing letter...
Sen. Mark Warner Urges SEC to Investigate Yahoo Breach
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether Yahoo properly notified the public and its investors...
Lawmakers Form Bipartisan Congressional Blockchain Caucus
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday announced the creation of a Congressional Blockchain Caucus dedicated to the advancement of sound public policy toward...
House Unanimously Passes Modernizing Government Technology Act
The Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act passed on a voice vote by the House, Thursday. The legislation sponsored by Representatives Will Hurd, Gerry Connolly,...
Yahoo Hack: Blumenthal Calls for Congressional Action on Data Breach and Security
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has called for Congress to enact data breach and security legislation following Yahoo’s Thursday disclosure of a 2014 data...
New Cyber Bill Proposes Agency Heads be Fired When Breaches Occur
A bill introduced in the House this week by Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-La., proposes that agency heads be demoted, fired or subjected to disciplinary...
U.S. Treasury Pressures EU to Rescind Apple Tax Ruling
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday the European Commission's order that Apple pay back taxes to Ireland could negatively affect Europe's economic...
House Passes Two Bills Aimed At Encouraging Startup Investing
The House on Tuesday voted 394-4 to pass a measure aimed at reworking regulations for crowdfunding. The bill, H.R. 4855, (Fix Crowdfunding Act) attracted...
Sen. Warren Advocates For Stronger Restrictions On Internet Providers’ Use Of Customer Data
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote a letter on Tuesday advocating for strong Federal Communications Commission privacy rules for internet service providers.
In the letter, which...
Democrats Stage Sit-In On House Floor To Force Gun Control Legislation: Cameras Go Dark
Democrats staged a sit-in on the House floor Wednesday to try and force action on gun control legislation. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), urged his...
Senate Rejects Proposal To Grant FBI Increased Warrantless Surveillance
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday very narrowly voted down a proposal to expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation's secretive surveillance powers following the mass...
Wireless Industry Protest Bill To Remove Cell Phone Subsidies
The wireless industry is protesting a bill that would make it difficult for wireless companies to access subsidies meant to pay for service to...
U.S. Congressman Introduces ‘Cyber Preparedness Act’ To Boost Cybersecurity
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced legislation June 14 that would improve collaboration between federal, state, local agencies on cyber threats, as well as...
US Lawmakers Vote Down ‘Backdoor Search Loophole’ In Surveillance Law
House lawmakers on Thursday rejected language that would have prevented US government from implementing the so-called “backdoor search loophole” in current surveillance law. The...
Senate Committee Greenlights Small Business Exemption From Net Neutrality Regulations
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved a bill to exempt small business owners from the provisions of net neutrality regulations....
US Senators Create ‘Senate Cybersecurity Caucus’
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today announced the creation of the ‘Senate Cybersecurity Caucus’ to keep Senators and their...
Senate Dem Proposes Creation Of Cyberecurity ‘Millitia’
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., on Monday called for the creation of a cybersecurity "militia" that would help the U.S. bolster its cybersecurity stance, even...
Facebook, Google, Others ‘Strongly’ Oppose Amendment Of Email Privacy Bill
Facebook, Google and concerned parties are opposing part of a major email privacy bill that they say would dangerously expand what data law enforcement...
FTC Says Legislation Based On IoT Privacy Or Data Security ‘Premature’
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that any privacy and security data legislation specific to the Internet of Things would currently be premature....
Senators Push For Warrant Protections For Documents of US Residents Stored Overseas
The International Communications Privacy Act, a new bill introduced Wednesday by three senators, aims to close a loophole that allows law enforcement agencies to...
US House Rejects Bill To Force Carriers To Disclose Phone Location
The U.S. House of Representatives voted May 23 not to force carriers to disclose a phone’s location to law enforcement in the event of...
New Bill Seeks To Block Expansion Of FBI Hacking Authority
A group of bipartisan senators have introduced new legislation Thursday seeking to block a rule change, which would allow the FBI to conduct mass...
Regulators Greenlight $19 Billion Acquisition of SanDisk By Western Digital
Transaction Expected to Close Thursday, May 12, 2016
The Ministry of Commerce of China (“MOFCOM”) has approved the acquisition of SanDisk by Western Digital Technologies,...
F.C.C. Tweaks Plan To Subsidize Internet Access For Low-Income Americans
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Tuesday it would extend federal Lifeline subsidies to help cover Internet service costs. People who do not have...
House of Representatives Pass Asbestos Lawsuits Reform Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill that targets class action lawsuits and the asbestos injury compensation system.
H.R. 1927 combines the...
Public Interest Groups Warn Asbestos Bill Could Encourage Online Identity Theft
Public interest groups, led by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund, are trying to kill a Republican-backed bill aiming to reduce asbestos lawsuit...
U.S. Justice Department Files Civil Lawsuit Against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche For Emissions Violations
The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Monday filed a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, against...