The technology modernization fund (TMF) is grossly underfunded and a contributing factor to government’s ill-equipped information technology systems, said House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and witnesses at a hearing Monday. Response to COVID-19 exposed federal and state government weaknesses, especially with legacy IT systems that are sometimes 30-40 years old, Connolly said, hosting a hybrid virtual and in-person hearing. IT systems have been inadequate in processing the Small Business Administration’s small business loans and grants and the Internal Revenue Service’s payment of stimulus checks, he added. The TMF “remains chronically underfunded,” Connolly said. Ranking member Jody Hice, R-Ga., urged focus on improving the TMF to help the government replace legacy systems, saying the U.S. needs to get more agile and up to date. Draft legislation for the TMF sought $3 billion annually, but it was never funded at more than $25 million, and most years there’s been zero funding, testified MeriTalk founder Steve O’Keeffe. The Alliance for Digital Innovation supports a significant increase to the TMF, said Executive Director Matthew Cornelius. Every federal agency should have a top technology official who can inject that experience into policies, testified New America Director of Strategy-Public Interest Technology Hana Schank. Congress should adopt policies that enable easier use of commercial products and services, that provide security, agility and scalability that supports the demand for digital services and data, said Information Technology Industry Council Senior Vice President-Policy Gordon Bitko.
Twitter’s human-enabled hack is another example of why the White House needs a national cyber director and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s (CSC) recommendations should be implemented (see 2007150065), said House Cybersecurity Subcommittee members during a hearing Friday. “It doesn’t take much imagination to see what chaos one could sow with such access on election day if a bad actor was pushing out disinformation,” said Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., of the Twitter hack.
Twitter, among social media and tech companies under public and policymaker scrutiny, faced additional skepticism after a hack of high-profile accounts. Legislators from both parties expressed concerns Thursday. After those who had verified accounts couldn't post new tweets Wednesday, the problem seemed fixed later that day. The company didn't comment.
A bipartisan group of House Oversight Committee members urged support Wednesday for creating a White House national cyber director. Republican opponents questioned the need for creating additional bureaucracy and duplicating cyber authorities, during a virtual hearing. Proponents cited COVID-19 as an example that the federal government isn’t prepared to respond to global threats.
Multifactor authentication should be a default for companies accessing and transferring customer data, the FTC heard. The agency proposed process-based requirements in April to add to its safeguards rule, which governs how financial institutions keep customer information secure (see 2004200062). Monday’s workshop was meant to gather information for the proposed rulemaking.
Political pressure in executive orders won’t sway the FTC, Chairman Joe Simons wrote June 29 to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. Blumenthal and Schakowsky wrote Simons June 15 with concerns about political influence from President Donald Trump’s EO (see 2005280060) directing the FTC to police unfair and deceptive practices involving online platforms’ content moderation practices, with language targeting Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. We received the correspondence via a Freedom of Information Act request to the trade commission.
Standardizing data shared on software components is vital for identifying cyber vulnerabilities and will have an impact across industries, stakeholders told NTIA Thursday. The agency held a virtual meeting on the multistakeholder process on software component transparency (see 2006180024).
Sen. Ron Wyden remains opposed to the Earn It Act because it threatens free speech and security, his spokesperson told us Tuesday when asked if the Oregon Democrat plans to place a hold on the bill (see 2007070060). The spokesperson emailed that the bill won’t do anything to “stop the monsters who produce and spread” child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and “threatens the security and free speech of every American.” Wyden’s Invest in Child Safety Act (S-3629) (see 2007010072) would “provide resources to help protect children from becoming victims and to catch the predators responsible,” his office said.
The wide spectrum of groups against the Earn It Act shows it’s an ill-conceived bill that will repeat the same mistakes as anti-sex trafficking legislation passed in 2018, said representatives from progressive, conservative, industry and academic groups, in interviews. A child advocate noted the wide-ranging support from victims’ rights organizations.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the Earn It Act (S-3398) (see 2007010058) Thursday. A manager’s amendment from Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and another amendment from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., passed.