CSIA Applauds Senate Passage of Cybercrime Bill
The House Should Promptly Pass a Companion Measure
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CSIA applauds the Senate for unanimously passing legislation yesterday that would provide new tools to federal prosecutors to combat identify theft and other computer crimes. |
Identity theft and data breaches have become organized crime's number one business. Closing loopholes in federal laws is critical to prosecuting identify thieves. At the same time, it is imperative that Congress establish standards to prevent cyber criminals from getting sensitive personal information in the first place.
CSIA applauds the Senate for unanimously passing legislation yesterday that would provide new tools to federal prosecutors to combat identify theft and other computer crimes. The legislation (S. 2168) was introduced on October 16 by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and Ranking Member Arlen Specter and largely responds to complaints by the Department of Justice that current laws have failed to keep pace with the complexity of the crimes that are perpetrated.
The bill would update antiquated computer crime laws that fail to account for the ingenuity of 21st century cyber criminals. The measure gives victims of identify a chance to seek restitution in federal court for the loss of time and money spent restoring their credit. The bill also makes clear that threatening to obtain or release information from a protected computer for purposes of extortion constitutes a cyber crime.
Thanks are due to Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Specter for their leadership to combat modern day identify thieves and protect the rights of consumers. Now the House must pass a companion measure before Congress adjourns for the year.