Obama Bill Would Beef Up Cybersecurity Laws

May 12th, 2011 by Paul Wagenseil, SecurityNewsDaily Managing Editor

President Obama sent a major piece of cybersecurity legislation to Congress this morning (May 12), asking lawmakers to beef up and streamline existing regulations.

“The administration has taken significant steps to better protect America against cyberthreats, but it has become clear that our nation cannot fully defend against these threats unless certain parts of cybersecurity law are updated,” a senior administration official, speaking anonymously, told the political blog Politico.

The text of the legislation has not yet been released, but the Los Angeles Times reports that it would require power-grid companies and other infrastructure utilities to disclose their information security procedures, and also provide legal immunity to all companies that inform the government of network intrusions and other threats.

“Our proposal outlines key steps to take in order to better protect the American people from cyber crime and identity theft, to better safeguard critical infrastructure as well as the federal government computers and networks, and to better protect individuals’ privacy and civil liberties,” an unnamed administration official told the Times.

The Times reports that the legislation also would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to quickly step into an emergency cybersecurity situation, if asked to do so by a public or private organization. It establishes parameters on what sort of assistance the DHS may provide.

Privacy advocates may be cheered by strengthened civil-liberties protections, which the Times reports include limitations on the collection and use of personal information.

“We are demonstrating President Obama’s commitment to addressing complex and systemic national vulnerabilities that place the American people and economy at risk,” Politico’s administration source said.

A formal announcement will be made by White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt and Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan this afternoon at the White House, Politico reports.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano are expected to be among the attendees. The announcement is not on Obama’s official schedule.

This article was provided by SecurityNewsDaily.