Analyst calls Senate cybersecurity bill inadequate

One analyst says revisions to a cybersecurity bill working its way through the U.S. Senate might be a good start, but the changes don’t go far enough to balance the needs of industry nor to adequately protect the nation’s digital infrastructure.

Paul Rosenzweig, an analyst with the conservative Heritage Foundation, called the bill still intrusive and said the negative incentives render the so-called voluntary standards mandatory. Plus the liability protections for infrastructure owners are too weak, Rosenzweig wrote in a report released this week.

Although he applauded lawmakers for trying to address cybersecurity concerns, Rosenzweig said the bill would chill innovation without improving security.

Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have said the revised bill gives concessions to other lawmakers who don’t think the federal government should regulate cyber practices in the private sector. A vote is expected on the bill this week.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

Tom Temin is the host of The Federal Drive, which airs from 6-9 a.m. on 1500 AM in the Washington, DC region and online everywhere. Tom has 30 years experience in journalism, mostly in technology markets. Before coming to Federal News Radio, he was a long-serving editor-in-chief of Government Computer News and Washington Technology magazines.