US House Committee Moves Forward on Cybersecurity Bill

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US federal government and businesses should share information on cyber threats to better counter them, the US House Select Committee on Intelligence said in a statement on Tuesday upon advancing a new bill that encourages such information sharing.

“Gangs of cyber criminals, sometimes supported by hostile governments, are increasing their attacks on US networks and American businesses,” US Congressman and Committee Chair David Nunes stated.

“The Intelligence Committee is acting to mitigate this growing problem by advancing a bill that will encourage businesses and the federal government to share information on known cyber threats,” he added.

The bill, formally named Protecting Cyber Networks Act, will now go to a vote on the US House floor.

On March 13, the US Senate’s Intelligence Committee approved sending similar cybersecurity legislation to the Senate floor.

The US House version of the legislation would increase voluntary sharing between the US government and private sector on cyberattacks, viruses and malware, as well as authorize the private sector to monitor networks and consenting customers for cyber threats.

Private sector participation would be voluntary, but those participating would be free from legal liability for sharing information with the US government. Such provisions have been widely supported by the private sector.

The bill proposes that the US Attorney General and relevant agencies develop privacy and civil liberties guidelines to govern the receipt, use, sharing and storage of cyber-threat information. Privacy guidelines include limiting personal information or identifying information from cybersecurity information provided to the government.

Under the bill, any US government agency could be legally liable for violating privacy and civil liberties.

On February 13, US President Barack Obama signed a new Executive Order to promote cybersecurity information sharing within the private sector companies, as well as between US government agencies and the private sector.

Cyberattacks against public and private institutions across the United States have become increasingly common. In 2014, the White House, State Department, the US Central Command, JP Morgan and Sony Pictures Entertainment, among others, fell victim to cyberattacks.

Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have opposed similar cybersecurity bills, because it could enable internet providers and other companies that store user information to pass personal data to the US government. The concerns have been heightened by US government intelligence agencies’ widely reported mass surveillance programs on US citizens and foreign entities.