IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Obama Administration Throws Weight Behind Cybersecurity Bill

The bill will increase liability protections for private-sector firms that share information on cybersecurity threats with the federal government.

(TNS)  — A major piece of cybersecurity legislation earned a thumbs-up from the Obama administration Tuesday, increasing the likelihood that the measure will become law.

In a written statement, the administration threw its weight behind the National Cybersecurity Protection Act, sponsored by Reps. Michael McCaul of Austin and John Ratcliffe of Heath, Texas. The administration wants the bill to pass but expressed reservations about a few provisions.

The bill will increase liability protections for private sector firms that share information on cybersecurity threats with the federal government. The bill seeks to assuage businesses’ fears of being hit with lawsuits for sharing consumers’ information, among other objectives.

Ratcliffe, a freshman lawmaker, said that security issues like this one present a “rare opportunity” for broad bipartisanship. The bill includes some measures that the administration proposed in January.

“A lot of national security issues often result in a better bipartisan effort and a real understanding here that something needs to get done,” Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe said he is optimistic that the House will approve the bill. He called the measure “pro-security [and] pro-privacy.”

In response to concerns from privacy advocates, Ratcliffe offered an amendment stipulating that any collected data could be used only for addressing cybersecurity incidents. It prohibits using information for surveillance purposes. Data must also be “scrubbed” of any personal information unrelated to a cybersecurity threat.

Administration officials said that the bill needs to be modified to “ensure that its liability protections are appropriately targeted.” For instance, it wants to make sure the bill doesn’t give companies incentive to adopt inadequate protections for customers’ data.

The House will probably vote Thursday on Ratcliffe and McCaul’s bill. The Senate is expected to take up its own cybersecurity bill within the next few weeks.

©2015 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC