White House States Support For Sen. Lieberman's Cybersecurity Act Of 2012

The Obama Administration officially put its weight behind Sen. Lieberman's Cybersecurity Act of 2012, with the issuance of the following Statement of Administration Policy:

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

S. 3414 – Cybersecurity Act of 2012

(Sen. Lieberman, I-CT, and 4 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly supports Senate passage of S. 3414, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012. While lacking some of the key provisions of earlier bills, the revised legislation will provide important tools to strengthen the Nation's response to cybersecurity risks. The legislation also reflects many of the priorities included in the Administration's legislative proposal.

The Administration particularly appreciates the bill's strong protections for privacy and civil liberties and would not support amendments that weaken these protections. The Administration agrees that it is essential that the collection, use, and disclosure of such information remain closely tied to the purposes of detecting and mitigating cybersecurity threats, while still allowing law enforcement to investigate and prosecute serious crimes. All entities – public and private – must be accountable for how they handle such data. The bill should take care not to duplicate existing domestic or international law enforcement frameworks. The bill also must protect the confidentiality of statistical data and honor the statutory confidentiality pledges made to respondents. The Administration is confident that S. 3414 can improve the Nation's cybersecurity while protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and civil liberties that are central to American values.

The revised bill contains critical-infrastructure protection measures that are less robust than in earlier drafts, but would still produce meaningful cybersecurity improvements. However, the Administration would not support amendments that would weaken the critical infrastructure protection measures in the legislation, including: (1) reducing the Federal Government's existing roles and responsibilities in coordinating and endorsing the outcome-based cybersecurity practices; (2) weakening the statutory authorities of the Department...