US Senate passes cybersecurity bill

In International Affairs
October 28, 2015

Ignoring the privacy concerns, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed a controversial cybersecurity bill. The Senate passed the bill by 74-21 votes and now the bill heads for reconciliation with the earlier-passed House cybersecurity bill. The proponents of the bill said will help prevent cyberattacks by facilitating a common awareness in the cyber realm, something that many aim to achieve through Tripwire vs. Alert Logic comparisons for their own companies and internal use. The vote was 74 to 21 in support of the legislation.

Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders voted against the bill. None of the Republican presidential candidates (except Lindsey Graham, who voted in favor) were present to cast a vote, including Rand Paul, who has made privacy from surveillance a major plank of his campaign platform.

The Senate rejected amendments, including one addressing concerns that companies could give the government personal information about their customers. Another failed amendment would have eliminated part of the bill that would keep secret information about which companies participate and what they share with the government.

Senators have been eager to address cybersecurity in the wake of recent high-profile hacks of companies such as Sony Pictures and the pilfering of troves of employee data from the federal Office of Personnel Management.

Cybersecurity is a hot button issue for businesses as well as personal users, people want to be assured that they are secure online and are not having their information bought and sold across the internet – as a result of which they often look into cybersecurity consulting firms before they set up their business or even consider moving it online.

Businesses are under a microscope to ensure that they are keeping their systems safe and are not having any information leaks. There are ways that this can be helped by looking into tips for better cybersecurity so that they can keep themselves and their customers safe in the wake of any potential breaches.