Washington ? U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary’s Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, this week reintroduced legislation to require the government to work with the private sector to develop minimum standards to protect Americans from cybercrime and cyberterrorism.
“A free and open Internet gives strength and a voice to people worldwide and should be protected from censorship and other forms of suppression. But the Internet and those who engage in communications and commerce across cyberspace must be safe — protected from predators like criminals, terrorists and spies who wish to exploit or compromise information and systems connected to the Internet,” said Senator Cardin. “Unfortunately, while some computer users and systems take safety precautions, others do not. Users of computers and other devices that connect to the Internet are generally unaware that their computers and other devices may be illegally used, exploited, and compromised by others with spam, viruses, and other malicious software and agents.”
S. 372, the Cybersecurity and Internet Safety Standards Act would require the U.S. government and the private sector to work together to develop minimum voluntary or mandatory cybersecurity and Internet safety standards for users of computers and other devices that connect to the Internet. “We can find a balance that keeps information flowing freely while keeping us all safe from harm,” said Senator Cardin.
Maryland is at the center of our nation’s cybersecurity efforts. The new United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), was established in June of last year, and is located at Ft. Meade, MD. More than 50 key security and intelligence federal facilities and 12 major military installations are or will soon be located in our state, and combined, these facilities and installations will employ nearly 200,000 well-educated, highly-skilled government employees and contractors in cutting-edge research and development, as well as important scientific, medical and technological innovations. In total, Maryland has one of the highest concentrations of technology jobs in the nation, and led the nation in 2009 with the largest growth in computer systems design jobs.
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