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Schumer concerned about new cybersecurity bill

Senate Democrats
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A vote on a cyber security bill is expected soon in the U.S. Senate.

The proposal would overhaul the nation’s cyber security laws, and senate leaders are hoping to move on it before lawmakers leave town for an August recess later this week.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) though has some concerns about the bill, especially how US companies would lose access to certain software that hackers use to break into networks. 

“The proposal from the commerce department was written in a very bad way, in a unproductive, a counterproductive way, and limits the way we can test and see if our networks are actually protected. It would place a lot of hurdles in front of companies trying to use this software,” said Schumer.

He also wants the Department of Commerce, which wrote the bill, to make some changes.

“I am calling on the department to go back to the drawing board on this proposal, and do a rewrite;  working with cyber security experts and business, who rely on this technology,” said Schumer. “In other words, I wish they would have done a mental test on these rules to see how they might work in practice.”  

There are also privacy concerns from other quarters, and the last minute politicking could push a vote on it into the fall.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.