New cybersecurity bill scheduled for vote this week, making people nervous
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The Senate is apparently preparing to vote on a new cybersecurity bill this week and the bill is sparking some concern about the scope of control it gives the government. Part of the concern is that the bill has not yet been made public but Hillicon Valley cites sources saying that the bill would use lighter regulation in terms of network security for firms that are deemed crucial to the nation’s infrastructure. That’s leading to fear of a government takeover in a time of crisis:
Bob Dix, vice president of government affairs and critical infrastructure protection at Juniper Networks said the bill’s language suggests DHS could seize control of systems owned by private firms and cloud providers.
“The provision that establishes covered critical infrastructure presumes to give DHS new authority, that in my mind is overly broad, subject to interpretation and frankly goes beyond the boundaries of the role of government,” Dix said, calling some of the new authorities “very scary.”
No word yet on when the vote will be or when/whether the language of the bill will be released to the public.
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