White House, NSA Weigh Cybersecurity, Personal Privacy

A look at the week of February 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel:  This week, the National Security Agency and the White House disagree about the agency’s role in cybersecurity.  A new study finds that the lack of uniform regulation in the cloud computing market is hurting its development.  Senator John McCain (R-AZ) plans to introduce a rival cyber bill.


White House, NSA Weigh Cybersecurity, Personal Privacy — The National Security Agency has pushed repeatedly over the past year to expand its role in protecting private-sector computer networks from cyberattacks but has been rebuffed by the White House, largely because of privacy concerns, according to administration officials and internal documents. The most contentious issue was a legislative proposal last year that would have required hundreds of companies that provide critical services to allow their Internet traffic to be continuously scanned using computer threat data provided by the spy agency, says The Washington Post.


Study: Patchwork of Laws Undermines Cloud Computing Market— While many developed countries have adjusted their laws and regulations to address cloud computing, the wide differences in those rules make it difficult for companies to invest in the technology, according to a new study by the Business Software Alliance. More regulation is not needed to help the world take advantage of a global technology like cloud computing, said National Journal. Rather, the patchwork of laws needs to be "harmonized" so that companies can develop cloud computing.


McCain Promises GOP Alternative to ‘Super Regulator’ Cybersecurity Bill — Republican Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) announced that he and several other Republican senators would introduce a cybersecurity bill to counter a recently introduced Democratic bill that would expand the Department of Homeland Security’s authority. Instead, the GOP plan reportedly will grant new powers to the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, reports Daily Caller.