New Democrat Coalition Statement on Legislation to Strengthen America’s Cybersecurity
The leaders of the 46-strong New Democrat Coalition’s National Security Task Force released the following joint statement on the Protecting Cyber Networks Act and the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act:
“These bills make it harder for cyber thieves, hackers, and state-sponsored terrorists to breach our cybersecurity system and swipe Americans’ personal information. Their attacks cost American businesses – large and small – billions of dollars a year and serve as an impediment to economic innovation in our country. Now more than ever, we need to confront these threats forcefully if we hope to protect ourselves from harm. At the same time, we cannot allow our cybersecurity framework to jeopardize the very freedoms we are fighting to protect. That’s why we’re encouraged by steps taken under this bill to strengthen privacy protections.
We are specifically encouraged by provisions in the Protecting Cyber Networks Act that enhance voluntary coordination between the private sector and our government to defend against cyberattacks. Under current law, it is difficult for the government to warn companies of impending cyberattacks, difficult for companies to warn companies of attacks, and difficult for Americans to seek information on how to protect themselves. In short, the status quo protects no one.
The Protecting Cyber Networks Act takes important steps to protect our privacy as well. Under the Act, private companies would not be authorized to share information with the NSA. The Attorney General would be required to develop guidelines to ensure that Americans’ privacy and civil liberties are not compromised, helping our companies understand best practices for the protection of personal information and individual data. And the bill would specifically prohibit the granting of new surveillance authorities to the federal government.
We are also encouraged by forward movement on the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act, a bill to facilitate the near real-time exchange of cyber threat indicators and ensure that the roles of civilian and intelligence agencies are preserved.
As we said in the American Prosperity Agenda, our data must be secure in order for our economy to grow. These measures will help to give all Americans a safer, more prosperous country in the decades to come.”
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Co-Chairs of the New Democrat Coalition's National Security Task Force, signed this statement.
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