Greetings, this is our first attempt at something resembling a Morning Take. The big news today is the unveiling of an alternative cybersecurity bill from Senate Republicans, dubbed the Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology Act (SECURE IT). CQ's Tim Starks reports the sponsors include the top Republicans on a number of Senate panels including John McCain of Arizona, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Dan Coats of Indiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Richard Burr of North Carolina.
The bill is a counter to the comprehensive legislation (S 2105) championed by the Senate Homeland Security Committee and Senate Commerce chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., which would task DHS with ensuring the private networks most critical to national security are secure. Federal contractors and other private firms have voiced resistance to the notion of new security mandates, which are noticeably absent from the GOP's offering. The SECURE IT Act also would increase the penalties for some cyber crimes, but otherwise tracks closely with the earlier cyber bill. Both would reform the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), which dictates how the government secures its own systems, and seek to improve information sharing with the private sector.
The sponsors of S 2105 sent a letter to Senate leadership on Wednesday, welcoming the alternate proposal and urging Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to bring cybersecurity legislation to the floor for debate as soon as possible.
Smartphone Adoption Up: Almost half of American adults, 46 percent, own a smartphone, according to a February survey by Pew's Internet and American Life Project. Only 41 percent own a basic cell phone, with smartphone adoption particularly strong among younger users, college graduates and users with household incomes over $75,000. Seniors ages 65 and older were least likely to have adopted a smartphone at just 13 percent. Markey Warns Users About Google Privacy Policy: Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., warned consumers to be aware that Google's new privacy policy take effect on Thursday, allowing the search giant to share data about consumers' between its various products. The changes drew criticism from Markey and Joe Barton, R-Texas, as well as Federal Trade Commission chairman Jon Leibowitz, who recently said Google had given consumers a "brutal choice" on C-SPAN.“It may be leap day, but Google’s privacy policy change is a huge leap backward for consumer privacy. All consumers should have the right to say no to sharing of their personal information, particularly when children and teens are involved. However, coupled with recent discoveries about Google’s efforts to bypass the privacy settings of Internet browsers in order to track users’ online behavior, the company’s changes call into question how Google plans to use this information now and in the future. I will continue to monitor this situation.” — Edward Markey
Other groups expressing concern recently about Google's privacy policy include the National Association of Attorneys General, whose letter last week prompted applause from FairSearch.org, a frequent critic of Google on competition issues.
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