Rockefeller To Mark Up Cybersecurity Bill
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said Wednesday that Google's announcement that it had been the victim of cyber attacks originating from China underscore the need for the nation to take cybersecurity more seriously, adding that his panel would mark up his cybersecurity legislation early this year.
Google said Tuesday that the hackers' primary goal was to access the e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. In response to the incidents, Google has said it will no longer censor its search results for its Chinese users and as a result may have to end its operations in China.
"Cyber-attacks are increasing exponentially and we need to get serious about America's cybersecurity," Rockefeller said in a statement. "Our nation's public and private infrastructure is too critical to remain vulnerable and unprotected."
His bill, among other things, would formally establish the position of White House cybersecurity adviser, an individual who would coordinate the federal government's cybersecurity activities and report directly to the president. After months of delay, President Obama announced last month that he had tapped Howard Schmidt to serve as the administration's cybersecurity coordinator, a position similar to the one Rockefeller's bill would create.
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