Blackburn Introduces Cybersecurity Legislation - the SECURE IT Act of 2013

Statement

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today introduced legislation to better protect America from the threat of cyber attacks -- the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology (SECURE IT) Act of 2013.

"We cannot afford to sit idly by as malicious hacker groups, and the states that sponsor them like China and North Korea, devise more sophisticated and effective ways to attack our citizens, businesses, and government institutions. Secure IT is a conservative, incentive-based framework that opens up collaboration between the government and the private sector while also providing safeguards to citizens when their sensitive data is compromised.

"Pretending this problem can be subtly deposited in our desktop recycling bin is just as much a losing proposition as President Obama's heavy-handed Executive Order. Instead of playing politics and pushing top-down mandates on the victims of cyber attacks, I'm focused on creating a consensus approach that balances the interests of American citizens and businesses while holding the federal government more accountable."

The Secure IT Act is designed to improve America's ability to respond to our escalating cybersecurity challenges. It includes five main components: allowing the government and the private sector to address cyber threat information in a more transparent fashion; reforming how our government manages its own information systems; creating new deterrents for cyber criminals; prioritizing research and development for cybersecurity initiatives; and streamlining consumers' ability to be notified when they are at risk of identity theft or financial harm.

Source